The Howard Alden Trio - A Good Likeness (1993)

Tracklist:

01. Nobody Else But Me (Kern-Hammerstein) - 6:41
02. The Peacocks (Rowles) - 5:23
03. Something to Live For (Strayhorn-Ellington) - 6:31
04. Single Petal of a Rose (Ellington) - 2:39
05. Lotus Blossom (Strayhorn) - 5:23
06. The Eel's Nephew (Freeman) - 5:18
07. Turn Out the Stars (Evans) - 4:38
08. No More (Camarata-Russell) - 4:35
09. Just as Though You Were Here (Brooks-Delange) - 6:16
10. Crepuscule with Nellie (Monk) - 2:24
11. Echo of Spring (Smith-Williams) - 3:33

Howard Alden is heard in prime form throughout this superior trio set, which matches his guitar with bassist Michael Moore and drummer Alan Dawson. Although thought of as a swing player, and there are versions of Bud Freeman's "The Eel's Nephew" and Willie "The Lion" Smith's "Echo of Spring" on this CD, a lot of the music is much more modern. Alden, a versatile and always-stimulating player, uplifts such tunes as Jimmy Rowles' "The Peacocks," Duke Ellington's "Single Petal of a Rose," "Turn out the Stars," and Thelonious Monk's "Crepuscule With Nellie."