Bill O'Connell Jazz Latin

Bill O'Connell
Jazz Latin
Savant Records

Pianist O'Connell scores with his latest release with selections from his excellent trio, with Lincoln Goines on electric bass and Bobby Ameen on drums, with whom he played with as part of the Dave Valentin Band. Guests here include Randy Brecker, Craig Handy, and Conrad Herwig. The eleven selections include seven originals and cover a range of styles and instrumentation.

The disc opens with a celebratory salute to the 44th President, "Obama Samba" with all three soloing. There is a solid, hard swinging rendition of the Cole Porter standard "Just One of Those Things," before O'Connell switches to electric piano with Craig Handy joining in for "It's OK," followed by the trio paying respects to their late leader Valentin on winsome reflective interpretation of Wayne Shorter's "Footprints." Goines sounds excellent on this. Next is a ballad that slowly builds its tempo, "Goodbye My Friend." On this Randy Brecker employs the lower register of his trumpet. After a very appealing piano solo, Daniel Carillo adds some excellent guitar.

Flautist Andrea Brachfeld enhances "Quicksand," with is percolating groove and skittering electric piano, while "Tip Toes" is a Monk influenced original with interesting intervals and chording with some of O'Connell's most inspired playing. With Conrad Herwig adding his trombone, O'Connell provides a latin arrangement for a dazzling reinvention of Irving Berlin's "Puttin' on the Ritz." Ameen's drumming is most noteworthy here, along with an appropriately heated trombone solo from Herwig.

A tribute to his mother, "Mom's Song" includes some hauntingly beautiful guitar from Carillo along with O'Connell's moving piano. Carillo is also heard on the jazz waltz interpretation of Antonio Carlos Jobim's "Zingaro." The brief, galloping original "What Is This," brings to a close this outstanding recording.

I received my review copy from a publicist. This review originally appeared in the May-June 2018 Jazz & Blues Report (Issue 378). Here is "Puttin' on the Ritz," from "Jazz Latin."