Harold Mabern - Don’t Know Why (2003) [2018 SACD]

Jazz pianist Harold Mabern was born in Memphis, Tennessee in 1936 and spent some of his early years in Chicago before moving to New York in the early 1960s. There he began to work with Lionel Hampton, Art Farmer's Jazztet and J.J. Johnson. Mabern has accompanied many vocalists including Joe Williams, Sarah Vaughan, Dakota Staton, Irene Reid and Arthur Prysock. He's also worked with Roland Kirk, Sonny Rollins, Freddie Hubbard, Lee Morgan, Roy Haynes, Wes Montgomery, Clark Terry, Billy Harper, Joe Newman and George Coleman.

"It's difficult not to break into a smile when hearing Harold Mabern play piano, as the hard bop stylist has a knack for giving his all as if he were entertaining an audience, even during a studio date. This trio meeting with bassist Nat Reeves and drummer Joe Farnsworth finds Mabern covering a lot of styles, including a few surprising choices. He takes Peter Brown's disco hit 'Dance with Me' into new ground with a brisk arrangement incorporating funk, Latin, and driving post-bop.

"Jesse Harris' soft ballad 'Don't Know Why' was a huge hit for singer/pianist Norah Jones on her platinum-selling CD Come Away with Me, though Mabern infuses it with a brighter tempo and a bit of country flavor, plus just a hint of gospel. For most jazz musicians, it's hard to avoid a modal approach to 'My Favorite Things' since John Coltrane reworked it into that setting; Mabern follows that path but does his best to avoid outright cloning of McCoy Tyner's technique in Coltrane's historic recording, though total avoidance is impossible. The pianist's potent originals include the hard-driving, gospel-flavored 'Edward Lee' and the tense, infectious 'Nightlife in Tokyo.' Reeves and Farnsworth excel in their support of Mabern, though the hard-charging pianist is practically a one-man band with his boundless energy." — AllMusic

Tracks:

01. Edward Lee 《 H. Mabern 》
02. Dance With Me 《 P. Brown- R. Dans 》
03. My Favorite Things 《 R. Rodgers 》
04. Don't Know Why 《 J. Harris
05. Dreamy 《 E. Garner
06. Cabu 《 R. Alexander 》
07. The Surrey With The Fringe On Top 《 R. Rodgers 》
08. Nightlife In Tokyo 《 H. Mabern 》
09. Blues For David 《 B. Montgomery 》
10. My Shining Hour 《 H. Arlen 》

Personnel:

Harold Mabern - piano
Nat Reeves - bass
Joe Farnsworth - drums