A few days after an acclaimed performance at the 2001 IAJE Conference in New Orleans, pianist
Benny Green was joined in the studio by his former bassist
Christian McBride and guitarist
Russell Malone to record this terrific CD. Five of the six trio tracks are originals by
Green; they include the driving
Stanley Turrentine-inspired "Pittsburgh Brethren," the funky "Captain Hook" (
Green's nickname for
McBride during their early trio days), the easygoing "Russelln'," in honor of
Malone's considerable talent, and the soulful "Beg Your Parlan," in honor of the polio-inflicted but phenomenal pianist
Horace Parlan,
Green's fellow Pittsburgh native. The trio also swings mightily on a mellow version of Carl Perkins' "Grooveyard."
Green's unaccompanied tracks include a fascinating striding version of
Duke Ellington's "Love You Madly," a snappy take of
Wayne Shorter's "Lester Left Town," and the more obscure "Learnin' the Blues," recorded by
Oscar Peterson in the 1950s. This release is more than ample evidence of
Green's continuous growth as a jazz pianist; it should help validate him as among the top players of his generation. ~ Ken Dryden