Wherever You Go, There You Are

You probably haven't agonized over this, but solo piano recordings nowadays are nearly as rare as the Mariners in the playoffs. So not only was I surprised to see such an item, I took a look at the tune list and said, "Wow." Michael Kocour is not a rookie in the jazz biz. He's originally from Chicago, where he spent years working with no less a bop icon than James Moody. For the last ten years he's been director of jazz studies at Arizona State University. And that's only part of his resume. He lists players such as Hank Jones, Tommy Flanagan and Barry Harris as influences. But except for a healthy respect for subtlety, clarity and precision, he is very much his own man. Now about those tunes! "Con Alma," "Just in Time," "How About You," "How Deep Is the Ocean," "An Affair to Remember," and "Evidence," to name a few. If there's one little blister here it's Kocour's use of Fender Rhodes piano on three of the ten selections. Other than that, he spins beautiful, original ideas on an impressive solo session.