The best moments on violinist
John Blake's 1992 release are the two selections that feature his former boss,
Grover Washington, Jr., on soprano.
Washington swings hard on an overly brief version of "Moment's Notice" and plays soulfully on "Val's Blues." Other selections have
Blake and his rhythm section (with pianist
Joey Calderazzo, bassist
Charles Fambrough, drummer
Ben Riley, and percussionist
Omar Hill) joined by
Joe Ford on soprano and mostly playing melodic group originals. The one exception is Charlie Chaplin's "Smile," which features some lyrical violin from the talented if underrated
Blake. ~ Scott Yanow