Doug MacDonald: Serenade to Highland Park

On Serenade to Highland Park, three consummate professionals salute the Los Angeles neighborhood in which the album was recorded. The three are guitarist Doug MacDonald, bassist Mike Flick and drummer Paul Kreibich, each of whom is among the best-known and busiest jazz musicians on the West Coast. Listening to them play is akin to catching a set by the Jeff Hamilton Trio, with MacDonald's bright and nimble guitar replacing Tamir Hendelman's always trim and engaging piano.

A second similarity lies in the choice of music, as MacDonald and Hamilton both rely heavily on the tried and true Great American Songbook for inspiration. It is a wise choice, as the trio format is well-served by such superlative melodies as "Dearly Beloved," "More Than You Know," "They Say It's Wonderful," "Brazil," "Frenesi" and "You Stepped Out of a Dream," among others. MacDonald contributed a pair of original compositions, the waltz "Hortense" and easygoing "Serenade to Highland Park." Completing the attractive program are Luiz Bonfa's "Manha de Carnaval," Al Dubin/Harry Warren's "Shadow Waltz" and "Next Time You See Me," by Bill Harvey and Earl Forest.

MacDonald uses lovely chordal passages and sunny single-note runs to bring out the best in every melody, while Flick and Kreibich are as alert and reliable as one could wish from a rhythm section. Kreibich earns special plaudits for resisting the urge, as some drummers are wont to do, to use his kit to say "hey, listen to me!" In other words, he is an accompanist, not a showboat, a trait he has in common with the above-named Jeff Hamilton. And, like Hamilton, Kreibich is also an accomplished soloist (see "Brazil"), as is Flick. As for MacDonald, he makes everything sound deceptively smooth and easy, as the best players always do.

It is pointless to choose highlights when everything is so well-designed. It is also hard to award four stars (or more) to any trio this side of Hamilton's, but Serenade to Highland Park is a plausible exception to that rule.