For Once In My Life

B3 player Ben Patterson keeps the keys warm and supple here, forming a nifty trio with Peter Bernstein/g and George Fludas/dr. He has a soft touch on the keys, preferring to let the speakers hum instead of cry, and it works well on this mix of originals and soulful covers. The team percolates on Ray Bryant's "Cubano Chant" and shows its blues hues on the rarely explored read of Sonny Rollins' "Decision." Bernstein is his usual adroit self on the guitar, sounding sly as a fox on "Near Miss" and digs nicely into the groove of Paul Simon's "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover." Fludas sweeps with the brushes like an umpire at home plate on a sleek "I've Never Been in Love Before" and the whole team bops like a bouncing ball on "Horace Silver's "Nutville." A B3 beauty.