Dave Kikoski - Dave Kikoski (1994) 320kbps

This is Kikoski's only recording to date for a major record label. Not only is it his best by far, it is arguably one of the best piano trio albums of the 1990s. Joined by bassist Essiet Essiet and drummer Al Foster, Kikoski scales the heights of jazz with soaring lyricism, harmonic ingenuity, and at times sheer fury. His version of John Coltrane's "Giant Steps" features a stride piano break as technically stunning as it is unexpected. His extended reading of Gershwin's "Long Ago and Far Away" is nothing short of poetic. And of the album's original pieces, "B Flat Tune" and "The Shadow," despite their enormous complexity, sing with an accessibility that marks the finest songwriting. Purists will insist that packaging is irrelevant to great jazz, but not in this instance. The highly evocative cover artwork, quirky typography, laconic liner notes, and aqua-tinted jewel case make the album even more unique, a near classic. ~ David R.Adler

Personnel: Dave Kikoski (piano); Essiet Essiet (bass); Al Foster (drums).