The Walter Norris Trio - Lush Life (1991)

Pianist Walter Norris has the knack for making the most overplayed standards sound fresh. By reharmonizing the chord structures and altering the melodies a bit, he was able to reinvent most of the repertoire on this CD, including a notable "new" version of the title cut. Parts of "My Foolish Heart" are so free as to be almost unrecognizable, and even "On Green Dolphin Street" sounds unusual while swinging hard. With fine support from bassist Neil Swainson and drummer Harold Jones, Walter Norris revitalizes the jazz mainstream with inventive explorations.