If there is one prevailing feeling from this collection of songs it is intimacy, both in the interelationship of the musicians and the inviting, subtle nature of the music. Gross' playing mirrors stylings of the post bop generation in that he approaches solo space in a very bop-like fashion; lots of upper chordal extension emphasis, bop-ish articulation and hard swinging double-time passages. This does not mean that there is anything rote about Gross' playing. Quite the opposite in fact. Gross calmly evokes the image of a candle-lit table in the front of a jazz club where you can sit and listen to every crystal note and feel that you are completely absorbed in his playing. This entire CD evokes the mood that you are seeing and hearhng this trio first hand. My hat goes off to James Mooney who handled the recording of the trio.
Some of the high points of this CD for me were the exquisitly treated ballads. Gross' sound is equally adept at fast and slow pieces which is a testament to his prowess as a tenor player. Many players who swing at fast tempos find themselves lost when the metronome swings at less than 200. I particularly liked "In praise of Malcolm X" which fervently exploits the talents of this heavy-hitter trio. They subtly evoke a solemn and intense musical mood simply by being focused on the thematic material of the piece. There is a lot of great playing on this CD by all parties. This excellent recording and will go on record as one of my favorite trio discs ever.
This is CD is available from 9 Winds records, PO Box 10082, Beverly Hills, CA 90213