Back in 2009 pianist Roger Kellaway teamed up with guitarist Bruce Forman and bassist Dan Lutz to record seven jazz standards. Over the years Kellaway has played with everyone from Duke Ellington to Barbara Streisand, Elvis Presley to Yo-Yo Ma, Sonny Rollins and Ben Webster to Bobby Darin, Van Morrison and Joni Mitchell among many others. Here he returns to his love of jazz, and the trio are incredibly tight, with the interplay between all three simply remarkable. The piano is delicate and light, Kellaway showing just why he has built up such a strong reputation over the years. He knows when just a few notes will do, or when it is time for a complex run, while Forman often stays in the background providing support, while at others he lets rip with a solo run of great speed (I love the humming which takes place during these). Then at the back is Lutz who keeps it all together: it may be strange for a band like this to play without a drummer but there really is no need with Lutz keeping it tight, and it provides more space within the music for the three of them to move around.

All of the numbers are instantly recognisable from Ellington to Monk, and we even get a glorious version of the evergreen “Take Five”. It is an incredibly mature work, and I don’t mean the age of those taking part, but rather this is music which has been incredibly well arranged while also allowing for flexibility and while all those involved are virtuoso players they only solo and show off within the context of the piece itself. Kellaway is from the Golden Age of jazz, and he is still performing with incredible touch and panache, and his duet with Forman during “Have You Met Miss Jones” is a delight. This is the type of jazz I was brought up on by my father, and I know if I played him this album he would sit there with a smile on his face, just as I am while listening to this.

Rating: 9/10

Links:
https://rogerkellaway.com/
https://www.iporecordings.com/