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Steve Dawson - Sweet is The Anchor
Undertow CD-UMC-0286 Reviewed by RG
Dolly Varden frontman Dawson fills in time with this winsomely charming solo project. 11 tracks span the lost desperation of ‘Temporary’ to the melting beauty of the title track, a duet with wife and fellow DV-er Diane Christiansen, via such unlikely stops as the deeply funky soul groove of ‘Love Is A Blessing’ and the stock singer-songwriter fare of ‘Friend Like A Wheel’. But the binding cement that holds the whole together and sets the tone is Dawson’s perception and intelligence, his ability to fasten on an unusual viewpoint on the familiar, his insistence on persuasion in place of bludgeoning dictation.
The subtle twists and deft emotional sleight of hand ask more questions than they answer, the open-ended arrangements have an unfinished, almost aimless lack of conclusion that underlines their lack of certainty. In a world where it’s becoming increasingly obvious that we know a lot less than we think we do, there’s a disarming honesty to this work, yet, impressive as it is I can’t help being reminded by the two duets that the Dawson-Christiansen-DV axis is so much greater than the sum of its parts. More than worthwhile on its own, perhaps Sweet Is The Anchor is the ultimate aperitif for the new DV album that’s due this year.

Paul Camilleri - Another Sad Goodbye
ZYX Music PEC2003-2 Reviewed by AH
This is Camilleri's third album but the first I've heard, so my findings are based on the songs contained within. One glimpse at the liner notes should do more than raise an eyebrow on any blues/rock fan's face because Another Sad Goodbye is produced by none other than legendary New Yorker, Popa Chubby. Chubby's own albums are all worthy of investigation; he's somebody who's not afraid to upset the purists and often incorporates funk, rap, samples and drum loops into his albums, and he's also a first rate guitarist and songwriter. As his involvement extends to rhythm guitarist/ second lead I was expecting to hear liberal doses of his influence blasting from the speakers, but on first listen I was a little disappointed. Yes it rocks, yes it has plenty of tasty blues licks and yes, Camilleri can sing - in a voice pitched somewhere between a smoother Chris Rea and Ryan Adams without the Marlboro stain – but the songs didn't quite seem to cut it. After three or four plays my opinion started to change, particularly concerning the beautiful slowie `When The Night Comes' and the terrific 'Ain't Givin' Up', where Camilleri and Chubby do their best to upstage one another with some blistering soloing. The playing, production and singing can't be faulted, but the 67 minutes playing time is pushing it a bit. Definitely one to watch, though.

Kaiser Chiefs - Employment
B-unique/Polydor BUN093CD Reviewed by RG
Great name, great sound, great attitude, great album. Every so often, in that desert that is the charts, a flower blooms. Well, Employment is a cactus – pretty and spiky all at once. If the kaleidoscope of colour steps right off a Buzzcocks’ disc then so too does the energy and tempered aggression. But there’s a subtle intelligence here too, that understands the purpose that comes with controlled power. It keeps the music energetic rather than frenetic, the driven rhythms and pushy guitars giving you both a lift and a shove. Kaiser Chiefs come across as a weird kind of Buzzcocks/XTC hybrid – and all the better for it; better in fact than either. Any band that opens an album with the infectiously compelling ‘Everyday I Love You Less And Less’ demands respect, while the beautifully paced and spaced hook that works its way from ‘Born To Be A Dancer’ deep, deep into your brain goes to show the unadulterated power of simplicity. This is a band that gets the mix just right; clever and edgy, great hooks and better riffs, but never, never too much. It keeps things spare and racy, keeps your interest and your heart-rate up. Never mind the Buzzcocks; I’m convinced the Kaiser Chiefs are a major threat to road safety…

Ben Folds - Rockin’ The Suburbs
Epic 504063 2 Reviewed by MC
Last year I reviewed Ben Folds’ Songs for Silverman and admitted I’d taken my eye off the ball and missed his first solo album. Well, Songs for Silverman was by far and away my favourite album of 2005 so I sought out Rockin’ the Suburbs and what do I find? I find the exact midpoint between the last Ben Folds Five album and Songs… or in other words, the missing link. This was Folds’ first burst of music fresh from his release from the Five. That gives the songs a much more intimate feeling, with the subject matter more focussed on himself and his life. But the sound of his old band is still there, with the occasional guitar lick and a residual sense that a successful album comes from enforced jollity.
When compared to Songs for Silverman this is an album of extremes, the sparse songs are sparser, the upbeat songs more upbeat, but this album is no less perfect, no less powerful. So tracks like ‘The Luckiest’ and ‘Fred Jones, Pt 2’ are more stripped down and melancholy than anything he has done before or since whilst ‘Rockin’ the Suburbs’ and ‘Zak and Sara’ could have come straight from Ben Folds Five.
In line with all his work this album is almost certainly a very slow grower. I love it already, so who knows how much more I’ll love it this time next year.

The Cure - Seventeen Seconds Deluxe Edition
Fiction 982 183-1

The Cure - Faith Deluxe Edition
Fiction 982 183-4

The Cure - Pornography Deluxe Edition
Fiction 982 183-7 Reviewed by RG
For those unfamiliar with Universal’s Deluxe Editions, what you’re buying is a re-mastered version of the original album paired in a swanky gatefold package with a second disc of previously unreleased but contemporary material drawn from sessions, demo tapes, live gigs and alternative versions. It’s something of a highrisk strategy, based entirely on the success (or otherwise) of the re-mastering and the availability of worthwhile additional material.
Like all such schemes, sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. The Lloyd Cole and the Commotions Rattlesnakes was a conspicuous success: John Martyn’s One World an equally gruesome embarrassment. Like any process that involves original tapes, various mixes and retrospective judgement, it’s not always easy to divine the reasons behind the catastrophes, but you have been warned.
Fortunately, in the case of these three Cure re-issues the results are superb. Poorly served by their original release on the beer-mat format, they are long overdue, and the results, overseen by the man Smith himself, are worth the wait.
Taken in chronological order, Seventeen Seconds represents possibly the most accessible of the band’s early output. Upbeat, even boppy tunes are full of hooks and driving rhythms that reward frequent playing as well as advanced application of the volume control. The Deluxe package offers up the original album on one disc with 15 rarities on the other. As well as the obligatory live versions of the album tracks there are a couple of demos (including the previously unreleased ‘Another Journey By Train’) and studio as well as live versions of spin-off band Cult Hero’s two singles (actually the same two tracks just reversed for A and B sides on different editions). The end result is more than enough to satisfy both newcomers and hardened fans alike and a model of how these things should be. Sound quality of course varies, but the original album has polished up brilliantly and sounds pretty damn good.
However, even better is Faith. Originally released in 1981, this sombre, brooding, undulating album is a natural progression from the repetitive beats and layered rhythms that underpin Seventeen Seconds. Pared away in form and then fleshed out with keyboards, the result is a moody, affecting soundscape of thoughtful emotional textures, the apogee of early Cure. The Deluxe release excels itself, both sonically on the original album tracks material, but also in the choice and range of additional material. First, you get the soundtrack ‘Carnage Visors’ (previously only released on cassette!) tacked onto the end of the original album, an instrumental coda that fits like a glove (no pun intended).
On the second disc there’s a superb collection of out-takes, demos (especially the title track) and a couple of tracks that didn’t make the album. Six live tracks are capped off with the rare and absolutely wonderful ‘Charlotte Sometimes’ previously only available as a single or on the singles collection Standing On A Beach. The 12” version would have been even better, but hey, that’s getting picky, picky, picky…
Pornography is a far more difficult proposition. Transitional in nature it also represents something of a musical blind-alley, a dark chasm that the band pulled back from to reach the sunnier climes of Japanese Whispers and the popular success of the single ‘The Lovecats’.
Ultimately Smith was to exorcise his musical demons in company with Steve Severin of The Banshees, but Pornography shows where it might have all gone wrong. The dense, slabs of sound and clashing chords, minor keys and wailing vocals are intense and initially impenetrable, requiring perseverance to mine the gem-like strands entwined within. It’s an effort few but the most committed were prepared to make and whilst I love the album and applaud the re-mastered sonics, it’s not a disc for everyone. Even the additional tracks are likely to appeal more to the die-hard fan, for whom this will be an essential purchase. For less dedicated listeners, the other two offerings are both easier and more rewarding. Treat yourself, you’ll not be disappointed.

The Chalets - Check In
Setanta SETCD 150 Reviewed by MC
The Chalets debut album has rarely left my hi-fi since I acquired it, on its release, back in October. At first Check In may seem an unlikely candidate for a must-have album. After all their music should properly be classified as pop, but like Blur and Pulp before them, they combine easily accessible music with clever observational lyrics.Musically the band cast their ambitions back nearly 50 years, with sugar sweet female harmonies and simple guitar codas they bring to mind American diners with a squeaky clean high school cast. But this is no trip down memory lane; 80’s synths and drum machines fill the songs out and give the record a more modern sheen and bite. The production here is superb, keeping the different musical elements well separated and crystal clear, the heavily fuzzed guitars retain their chainsaw punch without becoming muddy in the mix. The songs depend crucially on the tightness of their performance, with each element perfectly timed and restrained, clipped and precise. The Chalets best trick however is to inject a dose of humour into every song without stooping to making a novelty record. Check In is slick, stylish and hugely entertaining. If you like a record that can make you smile, but doesn’t grow to irritate over time, then this could be for you. This debut album is far better than might expect, and amongst my favourite albums of last year.

Patty Loveless - Dreamin' My Dreams
Epic EPC 5205102 Reviewed by AH
There are, in my opinion, three great interpreters of other people's songs in country music; Trisha Yearwood, Emmylou Harris (hardly a country singer these days) and of course, Patty Loveless. Patty's last two albums have veered more towards bluegrass (particularly Mountain Soul), and as that's one area of country I find difficult to stomach, I approached Dreamin' My Dreams with a certain amount of trepidation. I needn't have worried as this new album is more in keeping with When Fallen Angels Fly, one of my favourites and definitely the kind of country she does best.
Typically, the album's songs come from the pens of some of Nashville's most successful writers, but in Patty's hands they avoid falling into the sickly or the overly sentimental; in other words, she keeps the emotions real and the feelings at their most heartfelt. Turn the amps up and she motors, give her a ballad and she'll break your heart in two.
When she's rocking she does so effortlessly (`Same Kind Of Crazy' ) but a ballad in this girl's hands is akin to giving a blind man sight, such is the joy she brings to them.
Dreamin' My Dreams is not Patty's best album but it still stands head and shoulders above the competition and shows any would be country singer how it should be done.

Eric Bibb - A Ship Called Love
Telarc Records CD83629 Reviewed by AH
A new Eric Bibb record is always cause for celebration; his particular brand of gospel folk/blues rarely disappoints his many fans and this latest offering's not about to upset the applecart. With one of the smoothest and most soothing voices in his field Bibb's been delighting audiences around the globe, garnering praise from the press and fellow musicians along the way.
A Ship Called Love is another fine collection of Bibb originals, beautifully played and sung, which also features a guest appearance by rising young star Ruthie Foster on three of the tracks. She contributes a great scat vocal to `Like Aretha Loves To Sing', adds some really husky soul to the duet `Troubadour' and offers sensual humming in all the right places on the gentle `More 0' That'.
Bibb's a huge fan of Curtis Mayfield and it shows on the title track, effectively a rewrite of the classic `People Get Ready', and it comes complete with obligatory gospel backing, courtesy of The Dixie Hummingbirds. A distinctly Caribbean flavour appears on `I'll Never Lose You' and there's more of a fleshed out band sound to the punchy `The Way You Are', Bibb trading his trusty acoustic for an electric and proving he's equally adept with either instrument.As always with Telarc the recording is top drawer, as is the content contained within the grooves. A fabulous record.

Eliza Gilkyson - Paradise Hotel
Red House Records RHR CD 187 Reviewed by RG
The righteous outrage and tempered genius of Land Of Milk And Honey was always going to be a hard act to follow, so perhaps it’s a sign of Gilkyson’s artistic maturity that she’s confident enough to move both back to her roots and forward in time. Yes, a track like ‘Man Of God’ leaves you in no doubt as to just what at least half of America thinks of George W. and his foreign policy, but the reflective words of ‘Jedidiah 1777’ conjure a historical context against which to contrast the actions of the present and the lessons, learnt and unlearnt, of the past. Less angry it’s no less effective, while her decision to step forward in the mix and carry more musical weight on the shoulders of her voice and guitar make this a more traditional sounding album. And of course, it’s that deep, husky voice that makes her work so singular and so attractive. Not one to hide the hurt between lovers any more than the hurt between peoples, Gilkyson is at the top of her game. A gentler, more beautiful album than Land Of Milk And Honey, Paradise Hotel is just as rewarding. The other side of Eliza Gilkyson? No, just one of the many.

Rory Block - From The Dust
Telarc Records CD83614 Reviewed by AH
Anyone not yet familiar with Rory Block who has a yearning to hear authentic Delta Blues played with passion, devastating mastery of the acoustic guitar and total respect for the tradition, should start by purchasing this magnificent album. Ms. Block has been a recording artist since the 1960's, but took a decade off to raise a family. She returned to recording in the `70's with a couple of albums of more mainstream material, but became disillusioned by others trying to mould her into something she wasn't, so she went back to her first love, the blues.
A clutch of excellent albums followed on the Rounder label until she found her way to Telarc, recording Last Fair Deal in 2003 and Sisters and Brothers, a collaboration with Maria Muldaur and Eric Bibb, in 2004.
With a mixture of fine originals and tried and tested classics, this latest offering bristles with a confidence and a freshness that so many others try to achieve but few come close to matching. The flurry of notes Rory coaxes from her Martin guitar weld seamlessly to her authentic voice, and the whole thing's held together with excellent production. Usually acoustic albums become wearing but not this one; it's just like a vintage wine, full bodied and overflowing with the finest of flavours. However, you don't have to be an expert to enjoy its contents.

Maximo Park - A Certain Trigger
Warp WARPCD130 Reviewed by MC
Last year a number of new bands made an assault on the charts with some success, people like the Futureheads and Bloc Party. Some of their albums were instantly great, but I’ve been sitting on a few others to see which of them would stand the test of time.
A Certain Trigger is certainly a good album and three solid singles as well as a whole load of good album tracks make it pretty instantly accessible. More importantly this record has a punch that a lot of their contemporaries lack, with each song just that little bit more urgent and immediate. Maximo Park build on the sound of bands like the Kaiser Chiefs but add an art school intelligence and experimentalism. Perhaps a track like ‘Graffiti’ embodies this best, with a good hard bass riff, powerful drum lines and howling vocals married to a distinctly art house lyric: “I’ll do graffiti if you sing to me in French”. A Certain Trigger is set apart by its willingness to experiment, and as the album progresses the band take the chance to explore their ability.
In line with current fashion, the recording is in the school of “worst tech”. The first half of the record sounds as if it could have been recorded on a mobile phone. The songs could be said to benefit from the grit, just don’t expect it to fill your room with a huge sonic landscape.

Black - Between Two Churches
Nero Schwarz Records Nerocd10 Reviewed by AH
Between Two Churches marks a return to recording for Colin Vearncombe, the driving force behind Black and the man responsible for placing the sublime song 'Wonderful Life' into millions of thankful subconscious's. That one song, like Steve Harley's 'Come Up And See Me (Make Me Smile)', has a special connection with record buyers everywhere, and no doubt ensures Vearncombe doesn't have to worry too much about a state pension. In the '80's and early '90's Vearncombe released three fine albums for A&M, but after his contract expired he turned to internet only sales for subsequent releases, dropping the Black monicker and recording under his own name.
Between Two Churches isn't quite as dark as previous work (no pun intended), instead it relies upon tasty production from in-demand engineer Calum Macoll and some of Vearncombe's sharpest songwriting to propel it into the listener's imagination, and whilst there's nothing quite as instantaneous as 'Wonderful Life' there are still plenty of memorable moments. The jaunty 'Cold Chicken Skin' locks into an acoustic groove and is liberally spiced with some choppy, bluesy guitar and the lovely ballad 'Charlemagne' is a real peach, even if the chorus is nicked from a Fleetwood Mac song!
It won't dent the charts this time but Between Two Churches is a welcome return for this talented singer/songwriter.

Sonny Terry - Sonny is King
Analogue Productions/Bluesville BV 1059 Reviewed by DDD
The two sides of this record carry two very distinct and different sessions. Side A teams harmonica player Terry with the great Lightnin’ Hopkins on guitar, Leonard Gaskin on Bass and Belton Evans on drums, and is recorded by Rudy Van Gelder. Side B teams Terry with his usual guitarist Brownie McGhee, and was recorded by Fred Miles, a recording engineer who released a small number of titles on the Fred Miles Presents label. On side A, Terry mixes his usual folk-tinged blues with a number of songs charged with typically less than subtle sexual metaphors (‘Tater Pie’ and ‘Diggin’ My Potatoes’). While he never gets as down and dirty as some other bluesman (my favorite being Tampa Red’s ‘It’s Tight Like That’ and ‘Let Me Play With Your Poodle’), Terry was a remarkable mouth harp player, and these performances are first rate. Whilst I prefer the songs and performances with the larger group, the duet side has a spontaneity bred from the long relationship with Brownie McGhee. What makes this a truly stand out record is the fine sound, which just jumps out of the speakers. Although this is a stereo recording with rather hard left and right separation (especially on the McGhee songs), that anomaly distracts little from the performance. Both the Van Gelder and the Miles sessions are impressive, and the remastering is a significant improvement over the original.

Jackson Browne - Solo Acoustic Vol. 1
Inside Recordings CDANGED 1 Reviewed by AH
A couple of years ago it was my great pleasure to attend two concerts by legendary West Coast singer/songwriter Jackson Browne. I'd been a fan for a very long time but never seen him live - he didn't disappoint. Almost as entertaining as his songs was his between songs chat, and for mine and your pleasure there are eight examples included on this disc. Don't worry if you want to go straight to the songs because they have a track number and can be skipped. Personally I like to listen to the whole thing as Browne is a funny guy and because the spoken passages add charm and intimacy to the whole affair.
As the title suggests, this is just one man and his guitar and keyboard, singing 12 of his finest compositions in front of an enthusiastic and willing crowd. Tracing a song back to its origins and presenting it to an audience in its naked form would be a daunting prospect for the most hardened pro, but Browne's the consummate musician and revels in the feedback and the closeness of the occasion.
There might not be a band to flesh out the songs but it doesn't matter because they translate to acoustic form like a duck takes to water, and that is the mark of great songwriters, of which Jackson Browne is definitely one.

Nicolas Meier - Orient
Naim naimcd 091 Reviewed by DD
Guitarist Nicolas Meier is a new name to me although he’s apparently well established with his Meier Group elsewhere in Europe having toured extensively in his native Switzerland, as well as Italy and France. Now based in London and with a new band, he’s set to embark on a UK tour. The new band and this recording include a key member in the great Gilad Atzmon on clarinet, Turkish clarinet (yes, you can distinctly hear the difference), and soprano sax.
And with Atzmon’s powerful playing complementing Meier’s sinuous lines on guitar and Turkish saz supported by sterling support from Asaf Sirkis on percussion, Tom Mason on bass, and Dave O’Higgins and Rob Lavers on soprano and tenor sax this is a very fine band indeed. The set draws on a multitude of influences predominantly middle-eastern but also taking in flamenco and Latin flavours. Throughout it’s propulsive, melodic and entirely absorbing. So strong a set is it that it’s very difficult to single out favourite tracks, but if pushed I’d go for ‘Season’ as a showcase of the strength of this tightly interlocked band, showcasing Meier’s dexterity with Atzmon’s soprano setting the seal on a sensuous and atmospheric experience. Complemented by another superb, warm ‘you are there’ recording from Naim this has quickly become a treasured CD and has really whet my appetite to catch the band live.
Check out their schedule on www.meiergroup.com

Django - The Modern Jazz Quartet
Analogue Productions/Prestige LP 7057 Reviewed by DDD
Django was a 12” re-issue of two earlier 10” LPs (PRLP 170 and half of PRLP 160). These early sessions from 1953, 1954 and 1955 include Milt Jackson on vibes, John Lewis on Piano, Percy Heath on bass and Kenny Clarke on drums. Drummer Connie Kay replaced Clarke later in 1955, after which the group remained stable for more than 20 years.
The quartet never explored the more avant-garde element of jazz in the 1950s and 1960s, but that does not mean that it lacked innovation. Musical director John Lewis constantly explored and fostered new developments in music, and was instrumental in nurturing the talent of such progressive musicians as Ornette Colemen and Eric Dolphy. Although the vibes have never enjoyed the popularity of other jazz solo instruments, Milt Jackson was unquestionably one of the greatest solo artists in the history of jazz. Django was one of the group’s finest albums, and is a welcome addition to the re-issue market. While not audiophile grade recordings, these sessions provide quite good sound given their early provenance. Rudy Van Gelder recorded the later sessions, but the uncreditied 1953 session does not suffer by comparison. I compared the Van Gelder recorded sessions to the original 10” LP. The remastered LP wins hands down, the purity of the vibes being the most conspicuous evidence. I will return to this LP many times.

Neil Ardley - Kaleidoscope of Rainbows
Pure Pleasure Gull PP1018 Reviewed by DD
Originally released in 1976 squeezed onto a single LP at 27 minutes a side, Pure Pleasure have done us all a huge favour by unlocking more of this gem.
Groundbreaking in its time, analogies to a jazz ‘Tubular Bells’ don’t really do it justice. With clear influences from Ellington and Gil Evans it also reveals its roots in the five-note scale of Balinese music. Ardley assembled a superb band for this recording with the stellar likes of Ian Carr, Barbara Thompson and Tony Coe. Completing a trilogy, this piece was preceded by The Greek Variations and A Symphony of Amaranths, the work was originally commissioned for and performed at the Camden Festival and was later re-worked and expanded for a 12 piece band. It flows organically, opening with ‘Prologue’ as each musician enters and held together by Roger Sutton’s bass lines, before moving to the delicate slower paced ‘Rainbow Two’. And so it goes, weaving seamlessly and delightfully through the four sides of this superb set to the closing ‘Epilogue’ where the opening bass figure and instrumental motifs reappear.
In this Ray Staff re-mastering now sensibly spread across two Pallas pressed discs, the set sounds as fresh as if it were recorded yesterday and is an essential component of any jazz lovers collection.
Supplier: www.purepleasurerecords.com

Horace Silver - Six Pieces of Silver
Classic/Blue Note 1539 Reviewed by DD
Horace Silver is a prime exemplar of hard bop, a key driver from the outset he wrote a good number of its most influential and long lasting tunes including of course the solid gold classic ‘Song for My Father’. Silver was remarkably consistent throughout his output for Blue Note and this release stacks up with the best of them. Accompanied by Donald Byrd (trumpet), Hank Mobley (tenor), Doug Watkins (bass) and Louis Hayes (drums) this constituted Silver’s first permanent band on record, having previously worked and recorded with the likes of Coleman Hawkins, Lester Young, and as part of the Jazz Messengers.
This set comprises seven numbers all, with a single exception (the standard ‘For Heaven’s Sake’), Silver’s own compositions. Standouts include the delicate soloing from Silver’s piano on ‘Shirl’ written for a young friend of his, the soloing from Mobley, Silver and Byrd in ‘Camouflage’, and the gripping ‘Enchantment’ a number that echoes ‘Song For My Father’. All the numbers here are strong though, with perhaps the best of the lot being the triple time ‘Senor Blues’. Just listen to Mobley’s soloing and the extraordinarily tight ensemble playing for yet another example of why this is such a powerful and hugely enjoyable set. Classic’s superb Quiex pressing does this great music full justice.
Supplier: Vivante - www.vivante.co.uk (44)(0)1293-822186

Bill Evans Quintet - Interplay
Analogue Productions Riverside RS 9445 Reviewed by RSF
There is nothing not to like on this two-record set from the Fantasy archives brought to new life by Messrs. Hoffman and Gray. While side one begins with the fast-paced, ‘You and the Night and the Music’, side two opens with a wonderful arrangement of ‘When You Wish Upon a Star’.
Acoustic Sounds are half-way home with this, their third series of 45RPM re-issues. These releases have done wonders for my greater understanding and appreciation of jazz, simply by providing the best, most enjoyable sound from landmark albums such as this. When you see the names in this quintet, you can rest assured you’ve got some first-rate musicians waiting to perform. Add to this the history and depth of repertoire in the Riverside label (as well as the other catalogues that fall under the Fantasy – now Concord Music – umbrella) and you can see why this project just keeps on giving you great performances by great artists offered up in studio quality sound. There is something for everyone on this album and the pristine surfaces accompanied by excellent artistic arrangements and playing, set the stage for a real treat. Evans is so easy on the ears and his carefree, articulate style is mesmerizing. Side three offers up ‘Interplay’ a showcase piece for Evans and Jim Hall in particular, while Freddie Hubbard really shines on ‘Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams’ as side four ends. Highly recommended.

Oscar Peterson Trio with Milt Jackson - Very Tall
Speakers Corner/Verve V6-8429 Reviewed by RG
Recorded in 1961, this Verve recording casts Peterson in the unusual role of supporting artist. With Jackson, Peterson, Ray Brown and Ed Thigpen on duty you know that the playing will be flawless. The question, as with so many temporary meetings of greats, is will the music get beyond virtuoso jousting to result in something really special. Well, this is one of those rare occasions when the participants really click, and the resulting performances shine. Peterson, used to making space for his compatriots in the Trio simply extends that courtesy to Jackson, whose fluidity and changes of density turn the vibes into so much more than a one-dimensional instrument.
Throughout, Ray Brown provides an authoritative foundation, but it’s the contrasts, patterns and interplay between the three percussion instruments that provides the fascination. Peterson’s excursions into the far left hand spar with Jackson’s liquid lines, the opening ‘On Green Dolphin Street’ setting the mood, before more adventurous excursions through the likes of ‘Work Song’ and ‘John Brown’s Body’.
Those who see Peterson as a consummate technician should experience the range of moods he throws behind Jackson’s flawless playing. Soulful, they’re what transports this album beyond the ordinary and turns it into a record you should buy. That and the excellent Speakers Corner pressing which easily improves on my somewhat tawdry original.

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