Post Description

Manhattan is an album that captures the dynamic moods of the world's greatest city as interpreted through the supple interplay of this skillful threesome. "Hazeltine, Mraz and Drummond have established an easy chemistry that hinges on their shared sense of time and conversational exchanges within the structure of each song," according to the album's liner notes. Hazeltine and Mraz are both no strangers to Chesky Records, having made their debuts for the label on Jon Faddis'1998 Remembrances CD/SACD and Phil Woods' Here's to My Lady CD/SACD.

All too often, piano trios feature the pianist extensively, with bassist and drummer relegated to supporting roles and occasional brief solos. That's hardly the case with this studio session, as even though the trio is billed under the names of David Hazeltine and George Mraz, with Billy Drummond, the date comes off like a working partnership with everyone getting lots of space to play. Hazeltine has been a workhorse in New York City, recording a number of CDs for various labels and frequently appearing as a sideman, while Mraz is one of the top bassists to emerge during the late '60s. Likewise, Drummond has himself been a very in-demand player. The interaction between the musicians is superb throughout the date, with fresh treatments of chestnuts like "Out of This World" and "Alone Together" that swing like mad. Drummond sticks to brushes for most of the session, except for Hazeltine's easygoing samba "Don't Walk Away" and a portion of the driving take of "Everything I Love." One of the Chesky label's hybrid SuperAudio CDs made with a single-point microphone, the sound could not be more natural, unless one attended the actual session in person. 

Highly recommended.

Reviews
 
"Throughout this highly interactive session, Mraz and Drummond create an interesting dynamic with their push and pull approach to swinging in tandem, with Mraz nailing the beat with unparalleled precision and Drummond laying back behind the beat just a touch in a loose, relaxed manner. Hazeltine colors the harmonic contour of these standards with subtle reharmonizations on familiar themes while swinging in quintessentially straight ahead fashion." --Bill Milkowski