The David Hazeltine Quartet Featuring Slide Hampton - 4 Flights Up (1995)

David Hazeltine is a veteran jazz pianist who seems to be one of the best kept secrets in jazz. This 1995 studio session for Sharp Nine adds seasoned trombonist Slide Hampton to complement a tight trio rounded out by the heavily in-demand bassist Peter Washington, and drummer Killer Ray Appleton. This post-bop date kicks off with an angular approach to the timeless ballad "I Should Care," in which Hampton slips in several licks from "Four" (which was allegedly written by Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson and stolen by Miles Davis). Many listeners' eyes and ears would glaze over at the prospect of sitting through a jazz arrangement of the lightweight pop tune "Betcha By Golly Wow," but the creative scoring by Hazeltine and Gerald Cannon make this brisk treatment work beautifully. Appleton's hot drumming propels the hot version of "You Stepped Out of a Dream." The quartet doesn't neglect ballads, delivering a mellow interpretation of Cole Porter's "Every Time We Say Goodbye." Neither is Hazeltine a slouch as a composer. His lovely waltz, "Ann's Mood," (which the trombonist sits out), the infectious Latin-flavored "Pentimento," and the catchy "Four Flights Up" are all excellent vehicles for improvisation.

Review by Ken Dryden