John Harrison Trio: Roman Sun

Roman Sun is a delightful collection of smartly arranged, and deftly performed tunes selected from jazz standards, and the enduring corpus of the Great American Songbook. An original composition, the CD’s title cut, by leader/pianist John Harrison rounds out the ten selections on the recording. Good consistent time, driving swing, tight ensemble, and the inventive soloing present on Roman Sun exemplify skills of musicians who obviously possess chops that far exceed a mere level of competence.

The title tune “Roman Sun,” begins with Harrison’s solo piano in an almost ballad like approach. The addition of the bass and drums clearly enhance a Latin influenced sound and the bridge is quite reminiscent of the work of Chick Corea. The trio also renders sensitive readings of the ballads “You Won’t Forget Me,” and “Ballad of the Sad Young Men.” With “The Way You Look Tonight” and “Its You or No One,” the trio demonstrates an ability to swing as hard as anyone. The performance of “Willow Weep For Me” is a delight as it mutates from a loping two-beat feel in the opening performance of the head, to a more soulful sound similar to that of Gene Harris or Horace Silver. The recording closes with a masterful performance of the off-beat and perhaps tongue-in-cheek Thelonious Monk composition “Rhythm-A-Ning.”

Roman Sun would be a most welcome addition to anyone’s CD collection. The quality of the recording is excellent with a clean sound and good balance and separation of the instruments. The recording would be of great interest to the casual jazz listener for the uncluttered, straightforward, swinging sounds that are present. Roman Sun would also have great appeal to the jazz aficionado who appreciates high levels of musicianship and great jazz playing.