Rob Schneiderman - Glass Enclosure (2008)

Rob Schneiderman's tenth CD for Reservoir allowed him to achieve a longstanding dream, recording with alto saxophonist Charles McPherson, who appears on six of the release's ten tracks; the group also includes two talented veterans, bassist Todd Coolman and drummer Leroy Williams. The pianist's originals, including the breezy bop vehicle "Reunion" and the loping "Ready or Not," sound like they have been part of McPherson's repertoire for years. Bud Powell's blues "Buster Rides Again" is not one of his better-known compositions, but the quartet settles nicely into a soft Latin groove in its playful interpretation. Schneiderman and McPherson engage in a rhapsodic duet of "Embraceable You," with the altoist effortlessly inventing variations of its familiar melody. Even old warhorses like "Fine and Dandy" and "Cocktails for Two," two songs that have fallen out of favor, sound fresh in the quartet's capable hands. The trio tracks are just as strong. Schneiderman devours Bud Powell's dramatic "Glass Enclosure" whole, while his sense of humor comes across in an easygoing take of Charlie Parker's "Yardbird Suite" as he slyly inserts a low-key quote from the Latin tune "Tico Tico." Schneiderman's bluesy "Bluegenes" sounds like a perfect set-closer after a long night in a club. © Ken Dryden