Judy Carmichael - Old Friends (1991)

Released on CD by her own label, this highly enjoyable effort matches the brilliant stride pianist Judy Carmichael with cornetist Warren Vache and guitarist Howard Alden. Such numbers as "Oh Baby," "Love Is Just Around the Corner" and "Everybody Loves My Baby" are enthusiastically performed as heated, swinging jams. Vache sits out on Fats Waller's "Fractious Fingering," while Jelly Roll Morton's "Grandpa's Spells" is taken as a piano solo. Although three of the songs were recorded nearly 2½ years before the remainder of the program, the playing of Carmichael, Vache and Alden is quite consistent. Recommended to pre-bop jazz collectors.~AllMusic Review by Scott Yanow