Mike Wofford - Live at Maybeck Recital Hall, Vol.18 (1992)

Another perennial accompanist, Mike Wofford, has the spotlight all to himself in Vol. 18 of Concord's Maybeck Recital Series. Like many of his colleagues in the series, Wofford possesses immense harmonic sophistication and lots of technique, a bop-centered sensibility, a fondness for Tatum-like linking runs and outbreaks of stride, and a crisp touch accentuated by the bright properties of the house Yamaha piano. Unlike many of his colleagues, Wofford's choice of material leans a bit off the trail of the usual standards now and then, with an emphasis on jazz tunes like Ray Bryant's "Tonk" and "Topsy," as well as the dignified "Impresiones Intimas No. 1" by Spanish classical composer Federico Mompou. Bill Mays contributed an intricately reflective piece, "For Woff," for the dedicatee to play, linked up with the former's "One to One," and "Duke's Place/Mainstem" has a brittle joie de vivre with its mini-toccatas and joyous stride. A decent entry in the Maybeck series, if not among the best.


Tracks:

01. Introductory Announcement
02. Tonk
03. Too Marvelous for Words
04. Stablemates
05. For Woff/One to One
06. Rose of the Rio Grande
07. Little Girl Blue
08. Duke's Place/Mainstem
09. Topsy
10. Impresiones Intimas #1
11. Lullaby in Rhythm