Jim Hall's previous two Telarcs,
Dialogues and
Textures, were so adventurous and out-of-perceived-character that this compendium of small-group live dates at the Village Vanguard might seem like a step backwards at a superficial glance. But there is enterprise here too, as the cool, mellow-toned
Hall grafts a revolving door full of guest soloists onto his rhythm section (
Scott Colley, bass;
Terry Clarke, drums), each one of whom offers a different slant on what jazz ought to be. Among the pianists,
Kenny Barron's response to the challenge is straight-ahead bebop on "The Answer Is Yes" and a graceful duet with
Hall on "Something to Wish For," while
Geoff Keezer takes a more contemporary two-fisted approach. Trombonist
Slide Hampton inspires a looser feeling in the rhythm section at a relaxed tempo on "Entre Nous" and some loosey-goosey swing on "No You Don't!," but trumpeter
Art Farmer sounds rather limp in "Little Blues." The free-minded alto of
Greg Osby is the man most capable of pushing
Hall a bit outside of his usual game, as well as provoking the bass and drums, on "Furnished Flats" and "Painted Pig." One can only imagine the fascination of the habitually superattentive patrons of the Vanguard at all of this diversity. ~ Richard S. Ginell