Orrin Evans: Grown Folk Bizness

An interesting point to ponder, Peterson has made a few consequential records as of late with pianist Uri Caine (the superlative and recent Blue Wail on Winter and Winter comes to mind) and the concentrated experience that came from that activity must have had some effect on his approach to the recital at hand, as both Evans and Caine tend to be forward-thinking and rambunctious players.

As for his overall concept, Evans avoids the ordinary, maybe to the point of being too cagey at times, but he manages to push the music towards unexpected vistas. An obvious flight from clichés is the opening number, a solo piano take on Hoagy Carmichael's "Rocking Chair" which includes hints of stride, Cecil Taylor, and Monk all rolled into one. "That Old Feeling," which might tend to be associated with pianists along the line of Gene Harris or Dave McKenna, gets a substantial facelift in Evans' hands, a nice section in the middle developed through the use of block chords displaced to the offbeats. Then, as if to suggest that his "bag" is a capacious one, things take on an ECMish hue with a reworking of Richie Beirach's "The Elm."

For some extra seasoning, saxophonists Ralph Bowen and Sam Newsome sit in on one number apiece and then team up for the concluding Route 80 East, a rollicking jam that caps off a dazzling junior effort from Evans. While the "mixed bag" approach that comes with Evans' style may seem schizophrenic at times, there's also great promise in this pianist's forward-thinking stance and fans of piano trio jazz will find more than enough sustenance here to keep this disc in heavy rotation.

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