What's better than a
Bill Evans Trio album? How about a
Bill Evans trio album on which the bassist is
Percy Heath, the drummer is
Connie Kay, and the leader is not
Evans but alto sax god
Cannonball Adderley, making the group actually a quartet? It's a different sort of ensemble, to be sure, and the musical results are marvelous.
Adderley's playing on "Waltz for Debby" is both muscular and sensitive, as it is on the other
Evans composition here, a modal ballad called "Know What I Mean?" Other treats include the sprightly "Toy" and two takes of the
Gershwin classic "Who Cares?" The focus here is, of course, on
Adderley's excellent post-bop stylings, but it's also interesting to hear
Evans playing with a rhythm section as staid and conservative as
Kay and
Heath (both charter members of
the Modern Jazz Quartet). It's hard to imagine any fan of mainstream jazz not finding much to love on this very fine recording. ~ Rick Anderson