In that other world of rock and pop, the guitar long ago became a disrespected bowl of fuzzy electronic mush. With that horror show in mind, it's especially nice to welcome a record like this. Jacques Lesure swings vigorously, plays entirely within a jazz context, and chooses colleagues who share these lofty musical values. Eric Reed, piano; Tony Dumas, bass; and Willie Jones III, drums, are all in-demand pros who complement Lesure's guitar brilliance from note one. The session is made up of seven tunes, three of which will likely be familiar. The opener, "The Lamp Is Low", is taken at a semi-quick tempo and informs us that good things are about to unfold. The two other standards include an appropriately upbeat version of "Put On A Happy Face"; and a definite album highlight, Cedar Walton's near classic "Holy Land". Lesure's every note is clean, brisk and confident, and Eric Reed contributes solos worthy of his highly admired reputation. There's even a crafty blues here and it's called "That's Mr. Burrell, Thank You". It suggests pretty clearly the source of Mr. Lesure's inspiration!
WJ3 Records; 2017; appx. 38 min.
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