Waltz New

Guitarist Tom Dempsey and bassist Tim Ferguson deliver a tribute to the cool tones and textures of Jim Hall on this seductive session. Tenor saxist Joel Frahm and drummer Eliot Zigmund round out the team as they mix originals with Hall compositions and a couple standards. Of the latter, Frahm is warm and lyrical on Skylark" and the team bounces with delight on Ron Carter's "Receipt Please, while "Alone Together" (famously recorded by Hall) has deft interplay between the two leaders. There are cool chords and deft brushes on "All Across the City" and the title track, while e Dempsey's acoustic guitar is breezy on "Something Special." The only anomaly is "Village Waltz" which has Dempsey and Zigmund pulling apart like a tug of war, and the hard hitting "Subsequently," but for the most part, the pastels are in control of the palate. Charming.