Matt Wilson’s Arts & Crafts: An Attitude For Gratitude

Rating: ★★★

Record and Artist Details

Musicians:

Terell Stafford (t)
Martin Wind (b)
Matt Wilson (d)
Gary Versace (accordion)

Label:

Palmetto

March/2012

Catalogue Number:

PM 2154

RecordDate:

August 2011

Every couple of years or so, veteran West Coast-based husband and wife team pianist Wofford and flautist Hofmann come up with an album for Capri and this is a particularly soulful offering, mostly very laid back featuring their usual rhythm team mates plus a guest appearance by the consistently tasteful Terell Stafford, who fits in perfectly. The front-line unisons are all of interest. Holly, once a featured guest of bassist Ray Brown's trios, is a warmly expressive player, while Wofford is the finest type of old-school pianist. Always swinging whatever the tempo, harmonically inventive but making every note count and steeped in the blues. Arguably his most telling solo is on the Oliver Nelson tribute, ‘Soul Street’ written by tenorist Jimmy Forrest. Holly is equally impressive on this track. Others include a Wofford dedication to Horace Silver, the very down-tempo ‘The Dipper’, altoist Bobby Watson's ‘Karita’, Vince Mendoza's ‘Esperanza’, a hard to recognise Tony Newley/Leslie Bricusse song ‘Pure Imagination’ with Hofmann on alto flute, an up-tempo Hofmann original and, of special interest, ‘The Girl From Greenland’, written by the talented very young Chet Baker pianist Dick Twardzik, who died of a heroin overdose in Paris, featuring just the trio.

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