Between The Lines

Ever heard on of those discs where everything sounds like something you've heard before, but you can't quite put your finger on it? Joan Hickey's latest disc, Between The Lines, is one of those really interesting records that just plain sounds familiar.

Of course when your disc starts off sounding a bit like VSOP and wraps up with the one-two punch of a solid nod to the Dave Holland Quintet and a slab of some happening bebop, you're doing alright.

If you're music is sounding familiar at that point, it's a "familiar" that few would have a problem with.

Hickey and company tackle a couple of standards here with some interesting results. "My Funny Valentine" gets a reggae reading that works better that one would expect, and "The Man I Love" is nearly schizophrenic with all of its twists and turns. "Without A Song" works really well, as does the Joe Zawinul tune, "Midnight Mood."

Joan is a well known pianist in town because she can play with the taste and chops that are evident throughout Between The Lines. If you're looking for a nice disc of modern jazz, you can't go wrong here.