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Something of a cross between John Lewis and Teddy Wilson, pianist Dick Katz makes a welcome return to records with this sober, neatly ordered album, his first in more than 20 years.
Thanks in large part to Katz` rhythm partners, bassist Marc Johnson and drummer Al Harewood, the four trio tracks have a gliding swing, with the leader`s sly, witty lyricism coming to the fore on ”Crazy She Calls Me,”
which begins with a joyful, tap-dancelike phrase.
The four quintet tracks add trombonist Jimmy Knepper and flutist-tenor saxophonist Frank Wess, and my favorite here is the group`s reading of Thelonious Monk`s ”Friday the 13th,” a piece that Knepper was born to play
(listen to the way he handles Monk`s countermelody).
