Since producer
Norman Granz
sold
Pablo
in the mid-'80s, regular recordings of jam sessions by any one label have been infrequent. One happy exception has been the European-based
Steeplechase
, which has regularly gathered musicians together to play off one another's strengths. This volume features trumpeters
Ryan Kisor
and
Brad Goode
with veteran
John McNeil
, accompanied by
Andy LaVerne
(practically a house pianist for the label), bassist
Steve LaSpina
and drummer
Matt Wilson
, the latter one of the most in-demand drummers of his generation. Egos are set aside as the men work to complement one another's contributions to the date.
LaVerne
leads things off with a pair of medium tempo originals, followed by a mini-medley of
ballads
with each song showcasing an individual trumpeter with the rhythm section.
Goode
also contributed several tunes, including the well-named
"Demented Blues,"
which sounds like a
mariachi
band with evil plans during some of the ensemble passages. The jam session is still quite a viable project, especially when players of such high caliber are gathered together with the tapes rolling. ~ Ken Dryden