Steven Husted - Two Nights-"LIVE" (2025)

Bassist Steven Husted works the room in a pair of recorded gigs with his team of Israel Yanez/dr, Milo Hehmsoth/keys, Grant Teeple/ts and Matt Berger/g. The album is essentially split in two, featuring tenorist Teeple and his hefty tenor for the first part and allowing the Grant Green-inspired Berger to take over the latter half.

Husted and Yanez keep the butanes burning warmly for Teeple’s lyrical read of Hank Mobley’s “This I Dig Of You”, with the team stretching out and trading fours and twos on a richly bluesed “Sandu”, giving some space for the sleek ivories of Hehmsoth during the leader’s own “Bop Top” and easy coated “Existential Changes”. Berger paints a thin and melodic line on “How Deep Is The Ocean” and bounces with the leader on “Mooncake”. Husted himself keeps the music in form with his rich tone, strolling out on the relaxed “Against The Grain” and taking a ride on the Soul Train on “Nonagon Funkola”. A lovely way to spend two evenings.~ By George W. Harris