Search - Ralph Sutton :: Alligator Crawl

Sub-standard Sutton

02/04/2000

(2 out of 5 stars)

"Ralph Sutton is one of the finest jazz pianists of the post-war period. Technically superb, he is an outstanding performer in the Harlem stride school, particularly influenced by Fats Waller. His left hand is a marvel, and his strength, precision and unerring taste make him a delight to listen to.However, Sutton is at his best as a solo performer. In a trio, his left hand is muted, and he becomes a far more conventional player. The vast majority of the tracks on this CD are from two trio recordings with mediocre Dutch musicians in 1975-76. They are fine so far as they go, but anyone who has heard Sutton solo, live or on disc, will know that these recordings do not do him justice.There are a limited number of unaccompanied solos on this disc - "Viper's Drag", "Handful of Keys" and "Two Sleepy People", and they are excellent. Sutton completists may want this disc, but for anyone else, the discs to get are Solo Art's "Eye Opener" or Concord's "Live at the Maybeck Hall". They feature Sutton, solo, in his full 1990s pomp. This disc is a shadow of them."