Pianist
Rob Mullins' sixteenth album as a leader is only his second really straight-ahead
jazz project, and it's about as straight-ahead as they come: leading a traditional quartet (with tenor saxophonist
Jimmy Roberts, bassist
David LeVray and drummer
Evan Stone) he delivers a solid live set of
standards and old-fashioned originals, all of them played with wit and innovative energy but also with unflagging respect for tradition. The album opens awkwardly, with a long and completely unnecessary band introduction, but it picks up quickly with
Mullins' own
"Bb Major Etude," a bright and happy celebration of the
bebop sound. Following a lovely (if not exactly revelatory) take on
"Angel Eyes," the band swings mightily through a
jazz adaptation of
Beethoven's
"Fuer Elise," and then stomps into a fine rendition of the
hard bop classic
"Moanin'." Other highlights include an homage to
Thelonious Monk titled
"Monk's Ghost" and a
calypso-flavored original,
"Island Girls." But even on the less unique and revelatory material, the band's sheer joy at playing together makes everything on this album a pleasure to hear. Highly recommended. ~ Rick Anderson
