George Cables

Known for his outstanding work as a sideman with Joe Henderson, Dexter Gordon, and Frank Morgan, George Cables is also a first-rate leader who has primarily recorded for European and Japanese jazz labels. This 1991 session for Steeplechase with two in-demand musicians, bassist Peter Washington and drummer Kenny Washington, finds the pianist at the top of his game, with an aggressive approach to "In Walked Bud," a playful treatment of Bill Evans' "Waltz for Debby," and an intense setting of Dizzy Gillespie's "Con Alma" that is beautifully set up by his drummer. The pianist is also a strong composer, offering his delicate ballad "Lullaby" (a favorite of Frank Morgan, especially on duo dates with Cables), the buoyant Latin-tinged "Helen's Song," and the gently swaying "Sweet Rita Suite." Cables is no slouch playing standards, including a spacious, extended take of "Over the Rainbow" and a driving "All the Things You Are," which detours into Afro-Cuban licks with regularity. ~ Ken Dryden, All Music Guide