Winter Flower

From Jazziz
The most striking impression made by this new Kenny Drew Jr. album is the pianist's good taste. He is, of course, a tasteful player, a versatile musician who draws pearl-like tones from his instrument with equal ease whether gently unfolding a ballad or whipping off quicksilver bop runs. But it's the catholicity yet coherence of his program here that's most compelling. There's his usual complement of Thelonious Monk tunes: "Straight, No Chaser" and "Played Twice" this time out, with Billy Strayhorn's "Isfahan," Keith Jarrett's "Bop-Be," and Herbie Nichols's "117th Street" also representing jazz's compositional legacy. The familiar standards "Spring Is Here" and "But Beautiful" receive tender readings. From less familiar territory come the remaining tunes. "Winter Flower," by Danish pianist Thomas Clausen, opens the album on a ruminative note (Drew's father also played it). A Chopin waltz is dressed in jazz garb more successfully than most such efforts, along with "Cancion y Danza VI" by a more modern-classical composer, the Catalan pianist Federico Mompou. Finally, the only Drew original here is "Argentine Rhapsody for Astor Piazzolla," a florid tango for solo piano that has the special bittersweet quality and daring disjunctions of the master's own work. Drew makes this diverse selection flow smoothly through the simple yet effective tactic of alternating more contemplative numbers with uptempo tunes, yet with enough variations in speed that it's not merely slow-fast-slow-fast. Somewhat overhyped at the late start of his career as a leader, Drew has quietly developed into a reliable veteran with a distinctive style.

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