This solo session, recorded the same day as a trio date (
Catalonian Fire
) for
Steeplechase
, features the blind Spanish pianist in top form.
Montoliu
is fully in the
hard bop
camp, and his dazzling right hand and walking basslines give a rather strikingly different sound to
standards
such as
"Yesterdays,"
"Here's That Rainy Day,"
and
"Imagination."
Another surprise is clarinetist
Perry Robinson
's
"Margareta,"
a piece that
recorded on two other albums. The remaining tracks are all originals, none of which became very well-known, but all of which are quite enjoyable. Beautifully recorded in a bright-sounding studio with a first-rate piano, this CD is a great example of
Tete Montoliu
's abilities early in his recording career. ~ Ken Dryden