Joan Fort - So Far, So Good (2025) [Hi-Res]

When I heard the first bars of the opening tune, “So Far, So Good”, I thought, “Wow! The Poll Winners are back”, recalling that famous trio from the ‘50s featuring Barney Kessel, Ray Brown, and Shelly Manne. But the comparison quickly fades as Joan Fort, Philip Lewin and David Puime are definitely having their own sound and are able to take the music to another direction.

Lucky Thompson’s composition “Fly With The Wind” lives up to its name as the band truly takes flight. It swings hard and the interaction between the guitar and the drums is great. “So Nice”, written by the legendary bebop piano player Elmo Hope, has a great feel with Fort playing beautiful lines in his solo and supported by Lewin’s warm bass sound and Puime’s nice fat swinging brushes. Fort’s own composition, “Bush Baby”, begins with a beautiful guitar intro which leads to the melody in a relaxed medium tempo and I hear the phrasing and melodic influence of Jim Hall and Jimmy Raney which is very rare these days. Lee Morgan’s “Hocus Pocus” sounds really swinging in this great trio arrangement and the chase choruses between Puime and Lewin are an example of musicality.

The trio expands into a quartet for the next few tunes with the addition of the excellent pianist Timothy Banchet. “Escapade”, written by the great Kenny Dorham, has a very relaxed and warm feel. Fort’s “Where’s The Plunger?” is a fast swinger with great solos from Fort and Banchet and nice, clear phrasing from Puime. Timothy’s beautiful piano intro is the beginning of awonderful duo performance of the ballad “You Thought My Heart To Sing”, with Fort on guitar. The samba “Book’s Bossa”, written by bassist Walter Booker is played which such a groovy feel that it is impossible not to dance.

The closing tune of this remarkable debut album is the Richard Rogers and Lorenz Hart’s standard “With A Song InMy Heart”. This could not be a better ending, starting with a gorgeous rendition of the seldom heard verse by Fort and the beautiful voice of guest singer Sanna van Vliet. The tune ends in up-tempo with a wonderful trumpet solo from Paolo Petrecca another surprising guest.

This is a remarkable debut album of three great inventive and swinging musicians who are making music on a very high level with the guest soloists as an extra plus. They know the language and have the tradition solid in their pockets. The future of Jazz is definitely safe in their hands. I can’t wait to hear their next album!

—Eric Ineke