George Cables: Bluesology

Taking nothing away from its predecessors, Bluesology is a distinguished Cables affair while also being just one damn good piano trio record. The focus is mainly on standards, but what this ensemble does with them is anything but standard fare. Just take the opening Brubeck classic, "In Your Own Sweet Way," which sports a catchy introductory vamp that also provides a launching pad for the solos. Cables' voicings are rich and robust (captured with great finesse by engineer Josiah Gluck), while his improvisational style gains much from a forward momentum, aided further by Billy Drummond's quicksilver drumming.

The two Cables originals contained herein are both winners, leaving one with a desire to have had more of his blithe lines thrown into the mix. "Voodoo Lady," as the title might suggest, gets its energy from a rumba beat and thick two-handed block chords from Cables. The lengthier "Ebony Moonbeams" is built upon an eighth-note feel and has an extended form complete with creative periods of tension and release. Then, all of a sudden Drummond kicks into a sprightly samba beat for a spell, only to later find Cables' haunting refrain at the forefront. And yet these are just two highlights among many. Can you say "highly recommended?"

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