It's Friday here at Four on The Floor and also the first day of Fall so what better way to start the weekend than with some smokin' playing from Lewis Nash with band mates Don Friedman, Jim Hall, Joe Lovano and George Mraz from a Jazz Baltica concert from 2005:
Incidentally, I heard this group in 2000 at the Iridium in New York City without Friedman on the piano. That particular band can be heard on this fine record:
Honestly, when I first saw the lineup on the cover of this album I was expecting some fairly straight-ahead, standard-like playing but I was very pleasantly surprised and inspired to hear some very open and interactive playing instead. Jim Hall is a true visionary and his ability to push his sonic boundaries never ceases to amaze. All around it's a nice reminder that you truly can't judge a "book" by it's cover....Lewis Nash is truly a master who can cover it all ! In particular, check out Nash's solo intro in the above clip at the 20:16 mark - btw if anyone can tell me how to play my bass drum that fast, please let me know!