Jazzateria
1999
Trillium
About This Album
Pianist Cary continues on his freshness quest with this CD where he works mostly in a piano-bass-drums trio format. Three of the nine cuts feature flutist Yarbrough Charles Laws, as Cary explores his interpretations of lesser-known modern jazz, a bop evergreen, and several of his originals. Cary wrote the title track in collaboration with his able confrères, bassist Taurus Mateen and drummer Nasheet Waits. It's a loosely associated melody simmering in light jungle butter. "Moment of Love" sports beauteous, patient modality with a repeated motif to improvise off of, swung well by Waits, who closes the case with his coda. Mateen contributes "Blues for Haseeb," a Herbie Hancock-type basic bop, 12-bar swinger with a cute little melody. The trio interprets Duke Pearson's "Minor League" offering an insistent, throbbing, one-note bassline with Cary's piano -- quite a different arrangement from the original (check out Grant Green's version). The stone-cold bop flagwaver "Little Willie Leaps" starts with Cary solo, then the band merges together with the leader's Monk-ish phraseology as Waits trades fours with brushes. Abbey Lincoln's "My Love Is You" is a solo piano ballad, almost classical in nature.
Track List (try tracks 1,2,3,4,5 and 6)

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