On his third release, trumpeter
Dave Ballou
opts for a standard quartet, with
George Colligan
on piano,
Doug Weiss
on bass, and
Darren Becket
on drums.
Ballou
's original compositions are less prevalent this time around, and a casual glance at some of the titles --
"All the Things You Are,"
"I Hear a Rhapsody"
-- suggests that
The Floating World
might be more middle-of-the-road than his previous efforts. That's only partially true, as
can't resist throwing curves. His four originals are decidedly left of center -- particularly
"Bronk,"
which appears early on. His flugelhorn reading of
Thelonious Monk
's
"Pannonica"
(sans
Colligan
) is fabulous, and his trumpet/piano duo rendition of
Eubie Blake
"Memories of You"
is inspired on a multitude of levels. Other highlights include
's thunderous solo on
and
's melodic insight on the
Bill Evans
classic
"Time Remembered."
Despite its low and inconsistent recording level,
is superb, proving
's ability to say something very different each time he's heard from. ~ David R. Adler