Tommy Flanagan 3 - Montreux' 77 (1989)

This Pablo recording of Montreux '77 was cut at a time when pianist Tommy Flanagan was almost forgotten due to his long stint with Ella Fitzgerald's backup band. This fine trio outing with bassist Keter Betts and drummer Bobby Durham has been reissued on CD in the Original Jazz Classics series with one track ("Heat Wave") added to the original program. The two ballad medleys are enjoyable, but it is on "Barbados," "Woody 'N You" and "Blue Bossa" that Flanagan shows how hard-swinging a pianist he can be. His solo career really started to take off a few years after this concert appearance.