Delta Pickins Reviews Mulgrew Miller - HAND IN HAND
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Mulgrew Miller - HAND IN HAND - Novus 63153

From the first few bars of this disc, it is evident that Mulgrew Miller has released a thing of beauty to be enjoyed by anyone who likes Jazz. With all of the tunes self-penned but one, we get a chance to hear some of the best musicians of the genre playing together to lift the listener to the heights that Miles Davis or Herbie Hancock reached at their peak.

Not content to put out just another record, Miller has assembled a work of art that takes me back to the jazz that hooked me in the first place. He has one ringer by the name of Joe Henderson, the Grammy award winning saxman who will leave you in awe every time he plays. He also couldn't have picked a better trumpeter than Eddie Henderson, and it shows.

The instrumentation is varied throughout, going from quartet to sextet to septet, but with Mulgrew laying a solid foundation, harmonically, on his nine foot Steinway "D" Concert Grand Piano. He is very generous and leaves the bulk of the solo duties to the amazing crew he got to record this gem, but he plays with a feeling of exploration and history when he does solo.

Let's just say that if you like Chick Corea, Milt Jackson, Freddie Hubbard, Herbie Hancock, or any of the masters that begat this style, you now have a new source for enjoyment. Not just a rehash of the same old standards.

Here is the line-up: Mulgrew Miller-piano, Eddie Henderson-trumpet and flugelhorn, Kenny Garrett-alto and soprano saxes, Joe Henderson-tenor sax, Steve Nelson-vibes, Christian McBride-bass and Lewis Nash-drums.