[.ca] Autumn Leaves

How good is this?:
About as good as you can get. Great Jazz Trio, indeed. For once the hype is true. It's been a marvelous past twelve months for old jazz guys--stunning releases from Ahmad Jamal (In Search of Momentum), Abdullah Ibrahim (African Magic), Roy Haynes (Love Letters). And now, perhaps the best of all, The Great Jazz Trio's Autumn Leaves. What I love about this disc is how effortless great playing and musicianship become in the hands of the absolute masters--and how listenable. This is a disc you could feel equally good about as an introduction for your skeptical friends to acoustic improvised music, or merely as a vehicle for basking in sonic glories. Perhaps most noticibly, Elvin Jones (drums) shows why he's undoubtedly THE standout drummer of his generation: he simply gets more out of his kit than anyone else. Proof? His mind-boggling playing on "Caravan," initially, with the restless, throbbing vibe he creates, then with the incredible solo he casually rips off. But he consistently dazzles. Brother Hank on piano's no slouch either. With a deftness approaching magical proportions, taste out the wazoo, deep swing, and a profoundly grounded blooziness, he shows why Detroit (Tommy Flanigan, Kirk Lightsey) is the jazz piano capital of the world. The ringer is Richard Davis. Not one of the Jones brothers, not as well known (perhaps) as either of them, he nevertheless seems the absolutely perfect choice for the bass chair. He takes center stage on "Bye Bye Blackbird" and doesn't disappoint. He's got that great woody tone fully on display here as he effortlessly spins off some slick opening lines and exits with a stunning arco outro. Standards have seldom sounded this good, and these Old Masters raise the bar impossibly high for their young counterparts.

• Autumn Leaves
• Yesterdays
• Rhythm-A-Ning
• Blue Bossa
• Take the "A" Train
• Summertime
• Caravan
• Six and Four
• My Funny Valentine
• Bye Bye Blackbird