PAPATAMUS REDUX

STUNT 24042. (RECORDED SEPTEMBER 2023)

Look up the term “in-the-pocket” and you’ wi’ll disover that it means being in tempo and following the groove of the instrumentation with which you’re playing.  Need an example? Listen to Alvin Queen’s Feeling Good with pianist Carlton Holmes and drummer Danton Boller. While most drummer-led sessions tend to feature horn players (think Elvin Jones, Art Blakey or Max Roach), as evidenced by this and his two previous recordings (Tribute to OP and Night Train to Copenhagen), Queen prefers the intimacy of the standard piano trio format. What will impress you most about Queen’s playing is the tasteful restraint in the way he provides the cushion for Holmes and Boller as they work through 13 familiar tunes including a soulful rendition of “It Ain’t Necessarily So,” a bossa nova tinged take on the title track and the down-home blues of Cedar Walton’s “Bleeker Street Theme.”  Holmes’ blend of Oscar Peterson, Bobby Timmons and Les McCann is ideal for these tunes as well his solo excursions on “Spartacus Love Theme,” “Send in the Clowns” and “Someone To Watch Over Me.”  Queen’s drumming, especially on “Three Little Words,” with his use of the hi-hat, reminds us why he was a favorite of Oscar Peterson, Kenny Drew, Dexter Gordon and many other musicians he provided the pulse for during his 60-year career. Why the trio decided to do a synthesizer-drenched funk version of “Love Will Find a Way” is a mystery. Despite that, if you are a fan of classic piano trio sessions, this “in-the-pocket” session should be in your collection.

BOTTOM LINE:  Rather than being in the forefront with explosive drum solos, Alvin Queen prefers to take a back seat on Feeling Good, providing pianist Carlton Holmes and drummer Danton Boller an opportunity to shine. And shine they do in another relaxing and rewarding trio session from Alvin Queen.