Throughout an illustrious career Bill Mays has become one of the definitive players. He chooses songs worth keeping in our consciousness and his chords are a source of strength, with a little dissonance here and a dash of tenderness there. His improvisations are always highly creative, often exciting, and never too far out for our ears. In other words, Bill Mays is your "jazz pianist ideal". On this not quite brand new (but his latest) release, Bill plays completely solo on a two CD session. This is what you'd hear if you were that fortunate fly on the wall in Bill's private music room. It's straight to the heart intimacy on ballads such as "What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life", "Waltz For Debbie", "This Is All I Ask", "Sophisticated Lady", "Lush Life", and more. The second CD includes a few alternate takes. Bill questioned their inclusion, but the producers insisted that their very different approaches made them indispensible. And they were right! Bill Mays can always be called upon to make you breathless. That's just what he does on this welcome recording.
Self-produced; 2015; CD #1: appx. 72 min; CD #2: appx. 72 min.
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