Thermal Strut

Lawrence is not just a drummer but also a composer, arranger, clinician, recording artist, and has been a judge at many jazz festivals. He has performed with such names as Bob Mintzer, Eddie Daniels, Clark Terry and Phil Woods. But my main interest here was the pianist in the trio, who I had to pleasure to hear recently in person at the Newport (OR) Jazz Festival. Tamir Hendelman hails from Israel, and has performed with such names as John Clayton, Bill Holman, Teddy Edwards and Tierney Sutton. He has appeared and recorded with another piano trio, the Jeff Hamilton Trio, and is also the pianist with the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra. His harmonizations have an appealing originality to them.

This is a fine trio album with more variety and interest than many. Herbie Hancock, Cole Porter, Horace Silver, Antonio Jobim, and Lennon-McCartney are some of the sources among the ten tracks here. The swinging title tune was penned by Jay Lawrence, who also wrote the elegiac 'slow movement? titled Eulogy. The Jobim tune Waters of Beber is full of Brazilian feeling, without needing any of that genre's specialized percussion. The closing track of Jimmy Rowles? Peacocks, in a very classically-influenced arrangement by Hendelman, is a gorgeous windup to a most enjoyable CD.