Transparence

A veteran of countless recording dates, Deardord has been a Rock of Gibralter on the Seattle jazz map for decades. On this intriguing recording, he "mixes and matches" various tunes with different combinations of piano, guitar, drums, tenor and alto sax, percussionists and other participants. A few of the best known names, none of which appear on all tunes, are Bill Mays, piano, Bruce Forman, guitar, and Gary Hobbs, drums. Mays is always a fountain of creativity, and is heard to great effect here in a duo with Deardorf on Alec Wilder's "Moon and Sand." Jimmy Rowles' "The Peacocks" features tenor man Hans Teuber and Mays in as poignant a version as I've heard. Other selections which caught my ear include a Freddie Green-like Bruce Forman on "Sweet Lorraine"; guitarist Rick Peckham on Jobim's "Zingaro"; Teuber and Mays on "Collage," a tune in tribute to two of Deardorf's late colleagues, Bud Shank and Don Lanphere; and Forman and Hobbs on the standard, "Alone Together." All in all, this is an adventurous recording from one of the Seattle's most admired players.