Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » David Hazeltine: Blues For Gerry
David Hazeltine: Blues For Gerry
BySadly, Criss Cross founder Gerry Teekens passed in 2019. The good news is that his son Jerry has taken over the reins and the label is once again recording new albums, as well as reissuing back-catalogue gems (see here).
Blues For Gerry is Hazeltine's first recording for the label since 2010 and it confirms why Teekens Snr. held him in such high regard. The pianist is not in the business of frightening the horses, but within the framework provided by jazz standards and the Great American Songbook, he digs deep and comes up with the goods. As he says about "Body And Soul" in the liner notes here, "I'm not shying away from overplayed music."
This is, rather surprisingly, the first time Hazeltine has recorded the Johnny Green standard, and its 7:13 exposition is among the best tracks on the album. Others include Hoagy Carmichael's "Skylark" and Buddy Montgomery's "Here Again." Of the three Hazeltine originals, the title tune, at 7:37 the longest track, is also more than solid. Other source composers are Victor Schertziner ("Tangerine"), Cedar Walton ("Firm Roots"), Jimmy Van Heusen ("It Could Happen To You") and Duke Pearson ("You Know I Care.")
At no point does Hazeltine feel the need to adorn familiar material with mere complexity. What you hear is what you get, and what you get is what it is.
Track Listing
Here Again; Tangerine; Blues For Gerry; Firm Roots; Body And Soul; It Could Happen To You; Skylark; Minor Disturbance; You Know I Care; Here We Go.
Personnel
Album information
Title: Blues For Gerry | Year Released: 2023 | Record Label: Criss Cross
< Previous
Tony Esposito Le Origini with Special...
Next >
Danny Fox