Alan Pasqua: My New Old Friend

A supreme melody maker, Pasqua imparts a touch of class during these eleven carefully constructed works. Owing to the Bill Evans school, the artist's elegant voicings shine forth, regardless of pitch or tempo. And whether he's executing introspective or heartwarming chord clusters and delicate single-note runs, Pasqua conveys a noticeable sense of self-assuredness.

The trio steps it up on the perky, swing vamp "One More Once, featuring Erskine's solo spot intermixed with lower-end harmonies and Pasqua's brisk right-hand runs. One of the standout works is the trio's jazzy, ballad-like treatment of singer Glen Campbell's late 1960s pop hit "Wichita Lineman (composed by Jimmy Webb). Here, Pasqua delves deep into the primary theme via quaintly arranged arpeggios topped off with bittersweet single note lines. Nonetheless, the band explores various rhythmic patterns amid disparate angles throughout the preponderance of this indubitably appealing studio date.