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Roger Kellaway: The Many Open Minds Of Roger Kellaway
ByRecorded live in 2010 at The Jazz Bakery in Santa Monica, California, The Many Open Minds Of Roger Kellaway finds the pianist playing trio with guitarist Bruce Forman and bassist Dan Lutz. The material is all run-of-the-millstandards that everybody, including Kellaway, has worked with ad infinitum but everything still dazzles. Taking the kid gloves off right at the top, the trio kicks things off with a "52nd Street Theme" that's as hot as they come. Kellaway and Forman fire the 16th note lines in the head back and forth, giving off an early hint of a conversational rapport that comes to the fore quite often, and the trio sprints together in total synchronicity. Then the tempos cool off a bit, but the magic remains. "Have You Met Miss Jones?," opening with Kellaway out front, finds a comfortable, moderate pace that allows for some back-and-forth banter. "Doxy" raises the rafters with bluesy aplomb and down-home goodness, eventually upping the ante through a dalliance with double-time. And "Take Five" digs in hard, with Lutz's wide beat grounding the grooving and soloing.
Sticking with the established programming formula straight through to the end, Kellaway and company deliver three more fan favorites to close out the date. First there's a mellow "Take The 'A' Train" that starts on the unusually slow track and eventually hits a double-time stride. Then there's an agreeable "Night And Day" that proves to be a mostly mannered offering. And finally we have a "Caravan" that cooks straight to the finish line. Through it all, Kellaway demonstrates his pianistic prowess with near-unmatched agility, flexibility and strength. At a time when the jazz community has been forced to say goodbye to such elders as Harold Mabern, Larry Willis and Richard Wyands, it's nice to know that some piano giants like Roger Kellaway still walk the Earth.
Track Listing
52nd Street Theme; Have You Met Miss Jones; Doxy; Take Five; Take The 'A' Train; Night And Day; Caravan.
Personnel
Roger Kellaway
pianoRoger Kellaway: piano; Bruce Forman: guitar; Dan Lutz: bass.
Album information
Title: The Many Open Minds Of Roger Kellaway | Year Released: 2019 | Record Label: IPO Recordings
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