Stan Hope: Pastels

Perhaps best known as pianist for Etta Jones and Houston Person, Hope also performs regularly in Harlem and his home base of Queens. His solos with Jones and Person of course tend toward rootsy/creative but here the sound is less bluesy, except on the only original, "Hopeful Blues". As you'll see from the list below, Hope's other song choices, with a couple of exceptions, are not your typical fare and that was a good choice. Though this is not a tribute album, four of the ten cuts come from one of Hope's main inspirations, Erroll Garner. I particularly like Hope's choice of Forest Flower, a tune too rarely recorded.

Bassist Ray Drummond and drummer Kenny Washington provide fine support. Houston Person plays wonderfully on three cuts. On the one hand I wanted to hear him more, but Hope is such a joy in the lead voice, the guest role for Person made sense.

Tracks:Be Anything(I.Gordon); Summer Serenade(B.Carter); Moment's Delight(E.Garner); That's My Kick(E.Garner); Medley —A Flower Is A Lovesome Thing (B.Strayhorn), Forest Flower(C.Lloyd); Hopeful Blues(S.Hope); Pastels(E.Garner); Nightwind(E.Garner);Indiana(J.Hanley/B.MacDonald); Medley —Cottage for Sale(L.Conley/W.Robinson), Everything I Have Is Yours(H.Adamson/B.Lane), I'm Falling for You(C.Williams/G.Sanders/J.T.Hubert).