Wynton Kelly: "It's All Right!" (Verve)
Pianist Kelly is best known for his late 1950s to early 1960s stint in the great Miles Davis rhythm section with Paul Chambers and Jimmy Cobb; when they left Davis to form the Wynton Kelly Trio, they were already one of a handful of then state-of-the-art rhythm sections in jazz. By 1964 Verve, seeking to cash in on their fame and Kelly's ability to deliver whatever the circumstances, gilded the lily for this particular session by adding guitarist Kenny Burrell and percussionist Candido to the mix. It wasn't necessary. Neither was the attempt to steer Kelly to a wider audience. The results were considerably better than just pleasant - the pianist's mixture of exuberance and intelligence, of feeling married to structure, all expressed with a full, fat, irresistibly swinging touch, saw to that - but it was somehow less than the uninhibited work Kelly and the trio could, and usually did, produce when left to their own devices.
Ray Comiskey
Frank Rosolino: "Fond Memories Of . . ." (Double- Time Records)
Rosolino, who committed suicide in notably ghastly circumstances in 1978, was one of the finest of all jazz trombonists; this marvellous CD, dating from 1973 to 1975, catches him in brilliant form. Beautifully recorded in the Netherlands, it features him mainly with a Dutch rhythm section led by a splendid pianist, Louis Van Dyke. Rosolino obviously loved their playing. He turns in breathtaking performances - chorus after chorus brimming with ideas, propulsively swinging, superbly executed. At times the ideas are coming out so fast that even Rosolino's formidable technique is stretched to the limit to cope. He does, of course, and he also copes with the different - and, musicians maintain, more difficult - demands of straight melody on two orchestral tracks. One of the best jazz trombone CDs around, it's available here only by ordering. The effort is well worth while.
Ray Comiskey
Dusko Goykovich: "Balkan Blue" (enja)
Dusko Goykovich is a trumpeter and flugelhorn player whose fame has never remotely matched his talent. He is - personally - one of the best in all jazz, and this double-CD set is simply the latest in a run of outstanding releases from him. The first, A Night In Skopje, is a studio quintet date with the fine Italian tenor, Gianni Basso, recorded in Macedonia in 1994, distinguished by the almost casual brilliance of the principals and the local pianist, Peter Michelich, who joined their working group after the date. The second, Balkan Blues, is a Hanover concert recording of a suite composed by Goykovich and arranged by Palle Mikkelborg for quintet and orchestra. Goykovich is a sheer, lyrical delight; he doesn't put a foot wrong on either CD and is simply amazing in the spotlight on the second.
Ray Comiskey
