CADENCE: THE REVIEW OF JAZZ & BLUES:CREATIVE IMPROVISED MUSIC
Vol. 23 No. 6 June l997

Rainone, p; Phil Buriln, ts, ss; Paul Gill, b; Dominic Smith, d. 5/12 and 6/19, 1996, Maryland.

Rainone can swing with power, as he does on the title cut, or he can glide over the keys with a gracefulness reminiscent of Hank Jones. This skilled player's solos always go somewhere interesting, and even jaded listeners like myself will find themselves putting aside the fact that no new ground is being covered. Burlin's a good foil, and plays with the same dedication to direction. Even better than the pianist's playing is his writing, which is consistently beautiful and never predictable. Like zillions of other pianists out there, Rainone's been listening to a lot of Bill Evans, who taught him how to make those unexpected chord shifts without any sharp edges. McCoy Tyner may also occupy a fair amount of room in his record collection, given the left-hand comping and the fleet-fingered right hand whipping through cuts like 'Stretch'. Nice second-line drumming on that cut, too - an unexpected touch that works perfectly. I'll bet he's not short of gigs to play in the Maryland area.

-Dave McElfresh

gigs • recordings • bio • home • email