A brilliant pianist and an occasional trumpeter who has spent his life in the studios,
Randy Waldman finally made his first solo album in 1997. For this inspired project, he takes ten classical pieces and transforms them in creative fashion into jazz, showing off his remarkable technique and his ability to think very fast. A few notables (including tenors
Michael Brecker and
Bob Berg, and trumpeters
Arturo Sandoval and
Freddie Hubbard) make cameo appearances, but the focus throughout is on
Waldman's very colorful piano playing, which really gets turned loose in this setting. Recommended.