Jon Mayer
got a rather belated start on his solo career, but he seems to be making up for lost time with his series of CDs for
Reservoir
. His third date for the label is a trio session with bassist
Rufus Reid
once again on hand, along with drummer
Dick Berk
, with whom he last played nearly a half-century earlier. The ten selections should be familiar to seasoned
jazz
fans, though
Mayer
's buoyant take of
"Yours Is My Heart Alone,"
his upbeat arrangement of
"I Have Dreamed"
(from
The King and I
), and his brisk setting of
Antonio Carlos Jobim
's
"If You Never Come to Me"
make one wonder why these songs are performed so infrequently by
musicians.
's fleet
bop
arrangement of
Jerome Kern
"Yesterdays"
and dreamy take of
"But Beautiful"
demonstrate that he can find something fresh within time-tested
standards
as well. The rhythm section provides strong support throughout the disc. While this release may seem a little brief by CD standards at 47 minutes, it is an absolute delight from start to finish, without a hint of filler material. ~ Ken Dryden