Lou Levy

During his long career, pianist Lou Levy recorded sporadically as a leader, but this 1977 trio session for Interplay is a significant milestone in his discography. Accompanied by bassist Fred Atwood and drummer John Dentz (who would soon retire from performing due to a loss of hearing), Levy primarily focuses on gems written by other jazz musicians. He occasionally glides over the more intense passages of Bud Powell's "Tempus Fugue-It," which may disappoint the bop purist, but this it is a legitimate way of adding his own touch to a well-known piece. "The Shimmering Sea" is a lesser known but beautiful ballad from the pen of Johnny Mandel; Levy also includes an intimate rendition of Mandel's popular "Emily." The pianist works his way slowly into John Coltrane's "Countdown" with an abstract solo introduction, picking up the pace when Dentz enters the fray. He slowly savors Bill Evans' "Very Early" like the last bottle of a rare vintage of wine. Gershwin's "Oh, Lady Be Good!" is almost automatically played at brisk tempos in jazz settings, so hearing Levy's relaxed ballad arrangement is rather refreshing. His recasting of Eddie Harris' "Freedom Jazz Dance" is hilarious, opening with the pianist suggesting the drone of a bagpipe with his left hand, later briefly diverting into the folk song "Reuben, Reuben." Also not to be missed is Levy's "AR to Three To," a tasty bossa nova. Long out of print, this is easily one of Lou Levy's best albums. ~ Ken Dryden, All Music Guide