Dave Kikoski: Weekend At Smalls

Few pianists capture the resilient spirit of the New York City jazz scene as convincingly as Dave Kikoski. With his release Weekend At Smalls, he affirms his reputation as one of post-bop's most energetic stylists. Recorded live at the renowned West Village club Smalls, the album features Kikoski engaging in lively conversation with bassist Joe Martin, veteran drummer Billy Hart and longtime friend and collaborator trumpeter Randy Brecker. The result is a vibrant record of straight-ahead fluency that both revisits past achievements and hints at new directions.

Beginning with "Winney's Garden," a contrafact rooted in bebop tradition, Kikoski's fleet right hand and crisp voicings showcase the relaxed mastery of a musician fully in control of his idiom. Martin's bass provides flexible cohesion, while Hart's drumming is loose yet driving. Brecker demonstrates himself as a soloist with abundant improvisational depth. Brecker's witty title "There's A Mingus A Monk Us" brilliantly merges the earthy drive of Charles Mingus with the angular wit of Thelonious Monk. The tune's shifting accents and jagged intervals prompt Kikoski, Martin and Hart into playful counterpoint, creating a thrilling dialogue between Brecker and the rhythm section. Their interpretation highlights the quartet's ability to honour the past while forging a contemporary energy.

On "Presage," Kikoski slows the pace into a glowing ballad that reveals his lyrical sensibility. His improvisations are long and flowing, steeped in tenderness and harmonic subtlety, far from his everyday world of thought and imagery. Brecker's trumpet excursions unfurl with a warm, burnished tone, elaborating on what the structure of the piece has to say. The quartet's take on the Monk classic "Straight, No Chaser" exemplifies their willingness to reimagine a familiar theme without diluting its character. Kikoski's percussive comping and darting right-hand play off Hart's propulsive and shifting accents, creating a restless swing. Brecker and Martin ride this wave with authority, transforming the tune into a lively workshop of melodic fragments and rhythmic surprises.

The closer is a Kikoski original, "Cecilia," a spare number that develops its framework between melody and phrases. Each band member demonstrates their understanding of the composition as they readily take risks in their improvisations, thereby achieving greater depth in the interpretation. In sum, this is more than just a live album; it's a testament to the enduring bonds of jazz camaraderie.