Altoist
Dave Glasser, who perhaps is best known for his playing and recordings with
Clark Terry, has an unusual tone and a searching style that one could imagine being featured on very advanced jazz. On
Begin Again,
Glasser mostly sticks to bebop standards with his quartet, including songs by
Charlie Parker,
Gigi Gryce,
Lester Young, and
Thelonious Monk.
Glasser's tone is more advanced than his choice of notes, his rhythm section is excellent (
Tardo Hammer ranges from
Bud Powell and
Thelonious Monk to more recent modern mainstream players) and
Glasser clearly knows this music quite well. The four originals by
Glasser or
Hammer (whose "Conviction" is based on
Monk's "Evidence") is in the bebop tradition. Once one gets used to
Glasser's sound, this set can easily be enjoyed by bop fans. ~ Scott Yanow