Truth And Reconciliation

Another jazz project with a strong message, the sixth album with the noted pianist/composer leading concentrates on honoring the dismantling of apartheid in South Africa. Grant - who has worked with Betty Carter, Tony Williams and Roy Haynes - calls this double disc his dream project. He has assembled some top sidemen and varies the 16 tracks among piano trio, quartet, quintet and settings for his vocals on some of the tracks. In addition, he employs verit� audio clips from Gandhi, FDR, Nelson Mandela, JFK and Martin Luther King. Grant says in his liner notes that he hopes the music expresses his deepest truth, reconciling diverse facets, style, genres and influences. His jazz statements clearly include elements of classical, soul and folk.

Among Grant's original tracks are a moving instrumental quartet setting inspired by a spiritual message by Gandhi, a touching vocal on Resolution of Love, and another vocal stimulated by a speech by Mandela. But there are also other straight quartet numbers such as on The Way You Look Tonight and Darrell's own Blues for the Masters. The Geography of Hope is subtitled "I Am Music" and combines his vocals with spoken text. Other tracks are from Sting, Sheryl Crow, Dizzy Gillespie and Betty Carter. Truthfully, a fine album.