American tenor saxophonist
Rick Margitza
traveled to the Netherlands to record
Conversations
with Dutch pianist
Bert van den Brink
's trio in 1998, with exemplary results. One especially refreshing piece is the mid-tempo funky treatment of
John Coltrane
's normally slow-paced, emotional
ballad
"Naima"
;
Margitza
exploits the light touch of the rhythm section, floating over it while enjoying the ride.
"All the Things You Are"
is a mandatory part of any
jazz
musician's repertoire, yet the quartet's slightly off-kilter arrangement explores new ground. Bassist
Hein van de Geyn
's moving solo introduces
Thad Jones
' lush
"A Child Is Born,"
as the remainder of the group gradually enters and caresses this timeless melody.
shifts to a
Coltrane
-like approach to the roller coaster ride through
"Secret Love."
Burt Bacharach
's
"The Look of Love"
can sound extremely trite in the wrong hands, but the quartet's dark but brilliant arrangement transforms the piece into one of pure longing that isn't likely to be fulfilled.
and
van den Brink
mostly go it alone in a playful miniature of
"Emily"
that only vaguely hints at its theme until the remainder of the group is added near its conclusion. ~ Ken Dryden