Reflections / I Remember You / A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square / All of You / Solar / I Want to Talk About You / Everytime We Say Goodbye / Upper Manhattan Medical Group / Nutty
The solo jazz piano album of the year!!!
John Hicks, an oft underrated pianist throughout his long career, is presented here on this well recorded, varied program of solo material. The program itself is intriguing: a selection of beautiful standard repertoire book-ended by two Thelonious Monk compositions. And of Hicks' performance? Ebullient, swinging and enjoyable.
The program opens with Monk's 'Reflections', one of his not so angular peices. Hicks has a wonderful touch, and respectfully keeps close to the tune while subtly introducing a bit of new harmony here and there.
'I Remember You' is taken a slower pace for the introduction, and is quite the tour-de-force clocking in at a whopping 11 minutes! Fear not, every minute of this track is more ear-catching than the one before. Hicks turns this tune into a swinging affair, evoking shades of Bill Evans' 'Alone' while never stepping on the latter's toes. Listen for his use of block-chords, a dense, beautiful sound.
Further along is 'Solar', made famous by Miles Davis. Hicks' introduction is the perfect launching point into this, the second longest tune on the disc.
If you are looking for the perfect solo piano disc, this would have to be in the top three. The sound is wonderful, Hicks' is in very fine form as he delves into each tune with much aplomb, and the interesting choice of tunes will leave almost no fan disappointed. Definitely a recording that should belong on almost every CD shelf.
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Price: $24.98