Due to his skills as an accompanist and his work in Hollywood,
Gerald Wiggins
has always been a bit underrated, but the pianist has long had his own style within the swing/bop tradition. For this trio date (originally out on Tampa and reissued by V.S.O.P.), Wig is teamed with bassist
Joe Comfort
and drummer
Bill Douglass
for a set of seven standards and two originals. The music swings with both subtlety and soul, and the overall results are quite enjoyable. Highlights include
"Love for Sale,"
Duke Ellington
's "I Don't Know What Kind of Blues I Got," "Surrey with the Fringe on Top" and "The Man That Got Away." ~ Scott Yanow