Steven Husted and Friends: Two Nights--'Live'

Two Nights—'Live,' Texas-based bassist Steven Husted's third album, was recorded in front of a (presumably) appreciative audience in April and May 2026 at the Brass Peacock in Georgetown, Texas. The word "presumably" is needed because, for reasons unknown, audience response at the end of each number has been erased.

Husted's "friends" on this concert date are saxophonist Grant Teeple, pianist Milo Hehmsoth, guitarist Matt Berger and drummer Israel Yanez. They form a trim and able quintet that nestles comfortably in a secure, straight-ahead groove from start to finish. No one seems bent on eclipsing anyone else, and the teamwork is admirable.

On the other hand, nothing is shared here that has not been repeated in similar circumstances since swing gave way to bop more than eighty years ago. So, high grades for musicianship, somewhat lower ones for innovation, even though Husted and friends are splendid within their snugly measured boundaries.

Performing live is another plus, as there are no mulligans or do-overs, and no one seems to have a problem with that, nor with the audience's often strident behavior. It is simply business as usual, as Husted and his mates shrug off any hindrances to give the fans what they paid to hear. The audience is especially intrusive on Husted's showpiece, his own gentle ballad, "Will I Ever See You Again," and the tune that follows, Husted's sinewy "Angel in the Flowers" (featuring Berger's lucid guitar with the leader's reliable bass).

Husted wrote eight of the album's eleven numbers. The others are Hank Mobley's charming "This I Dig of You" (nice solo by Teeple), Clifford Brown's classic "Sandu" and the Irving Berlin standard, "How Deep Is the Ocean?" The straightforward vibe prevails until the last number, when it gives way to Husted's feisty "Nonagon Funkola." The album, as presented here, has no insert or liner notes, simply lists of songs and personnel. It does not denote which instrument anyone plays.

Despite its bare-bones packaging, Two Nights is an impressive and well-designed album of contemporary jazz in which the highs largely outnumber the lows. Well worth a listen or more.