Kenny Drew Trio

Kenny Drew Trio

Kenny Drew brings a pure bop angularity to this 1956 session, with driving single-note lines that clamber over one another to get at a new rhythmic detail, along with splashing chords that find the joy in the blues. He's joined by a rhythm section that virtually defined the mid-1950s ethos: bassist Paul Chambers and drummer Philly Joe Jones, Miles Davis regulars and a frequent tandem on sessions of the day. Chambers provides his own significant solo input as well as superb bass lines, while Jones adds untold vitality here, furiously knitting a polyrhythmic backdrop that seems to collide and expand on Drew's lines at every point of contact. No pianist could ask for more (though some might ask for less), and it's apparent why Jones was a favorite of pianists from Bill Evans to Elmo Hope. Drew's boppish, Powell-inspired playing shines on Ellington's "Caravan," while he's close to the essence of Monk on "Ruby, My Dear." It's a classic session by a pianist whose long European residence meant that he was unjustly neglected at home. <i>--Stuart Broomer</i>