Benny Green continued to show gradual growth throughout the 1990s. For this outing with his 1994 trio (which also includes bassist
Christian McBride and drummer
Kenny Washington),
Green shows off the influence of
Oscar Peterson and other predecessors, but also displays his own musical voice during a mixture of originals, jazz standards (including "I Want to Talk About You," "Pensativa" and "The Folks Who Live on the Hill") and lesser-known tunes. Three songs add six horns orchestrated by
Green and
Bob Belden, and a special highlight is
Green's solo rendition of
Oscar Peterson's "Noreen's Nocturne." Overall, this CD is an excellent example of
Benny Green's playing and writing talents. ~ Scott Yanow