Although best known for playing bluesy
soul-jazz
,
Junior Mance
has always been a superior
bop
and
hard bop
pianist, too. On this 1997 set, he teams up with a pair of Canadians (bassist
Don Thompson
and drummer
Archie Alleyne
) to explore seven
jazz
standards
, only two of which (
"Work Song"
"Walkin'"
) are
blues
-oriented. These live performances feature
Mance
in particularly creative form and interacting closely with his sidemen. Their lengthy renditions of
"Work Song,"
"Body and Soul"
(which is over 12 and a half minutes long), and
"Lester Leaps In"
are especially rewarding. Recommended. ~ Scott Yanow