Hart-Beat

Tenor saxophone/bass/drum trios have the advantage of freeing the leader to play more adventurous lines, though many albums are bogged down by the sameness of the songs. Stephen Riley's series of recordings for Steeplechase have avoided formulaic, predictable approaches to the music he selects. Hart-Beat features the masterful drummer Billy Hart and the promising young bassist Neal Caine, both of whom provide superb support for Riley throughout the session. The songs range from material recorded during the swing era to 1950s pop, bop, and post-bop of the '60s and '70s. Opening with a thoughtful, unaccompanied rendition of "Just You, Just Me," Riley detours briefly into "Day In, Day Out" before reworking the song into something very different from what Lester Young played. Riley's confidence is apparent in his brilliant interpretation of John Coltrane's "Lonnie's Lament," delivering an emotional performance that never mimics the composer. His subtle take of "When It's Sleepy Time Down South" (long Louis Armstrong's theme song) blends bop, swing, and New Orleans Jazz. Riley's skillful interpretations of two Joe Henderson compositions, the robust "Isotope" and the mysterious "Black Narcissus," along with his playful setting of Thelonious Monk's "Ba-Lue Bolivar Ba-Lues-Are" are also fine examples of his explorations of works by masters. The Chordettes' "Mr. Sandman" is reworked as a perky duet, with Caine introducing the piece alone with a disguised introduction before the piece reveals itself, played in a fairly straight-ahead manner. This CD is a virtual master class for up-and-coming tenor saxophonists who choose to omit piano from their groups.