One Hopeful Day

Mark Soskin has built an impressive discography as a sideman, though he hasn't been recorded nearly enough as a leader since his arrival on the jazz scene. Nearly 20 years after his first record date of his own, the veteran pianist assembled a top-shelf band with tenor saxophonist Chris Potter, bassist John Patitucci, and drummer Bill Stewart for this studio date, which like most of his recordings is for a non-U.S. label. But it is obvious that overseas label owners see something in Soskin's music that their American counterparts just don't grasp: that this musician is not only able to bring new life to time-tested standards, but he's a talented composer and arranger to boot. The energetic, driving setting of "On the Street Where You Live" is anything but pedestrian, showcasing both the leader and Potter. The African flavor added to the brisk treatment of Thelonious Monk's "Bemsha Swing" keeps things moving as well. The quartet devours Chick Corea's "Inner Space" whole in a turbulent performance. Guitarist John Abercrombie is added for two of Soskin's originals, playing tricky unison lines with the leader in "Step Lively" and providing sublime backing for Potter's soprano sax in the equally challenging "Strive." Soskin concludes the disc with a delightful solo arrangement of Clare Fischer's "Pensativa."