Great trio stuff from Pearson.
I have managed to find three of Pearson’s albums as a leader so far. This one is a trio setting together with Gene Taylor on double bass and Lex Humphries on drums, and he thrives here. Always playing with style and lyricism. For me his very lyrical playing is a huge plus. Sometimes it feels like he mixes in classical elements as well. It’s very elegant. “I’m a Fool to Want You” and “When Sunny Gets Blue” are a couple of examples of that. Maybe one can describe his playing on this album as smooth and pleasant with tons of lyricism, elegant classical touches and a deep understanding of the blues.
Speaking of the blues; the last track “3 A.M.” is quite interesting in the spontaneous way it was recorded. I quote from the liner notes: "The session was over, and everybody was ready to pack up and the lights in the studio had been turned off. Then, Duke started to play the blues, with his hat on, and quickly Gene grabbed his bass and Lex got ready. In the control room, we got set, but fast, and this is the result. It sure is a relaxed and soulful piece of music.” - Alfred Lion
I think this is a very fine session and one you should definitely seek out if you enjoy piano trios that focus plenty on lyrical expressions. A gem in the Blue Note 4000 series.
Back to work now, but I’m enjoying the summer as much as I can when I’m not in the office. It’s been very hot here in Stockholm. Not complaining though. Have some leads on some albums and hopefully that will materialize into some new purchases. One title is on it’s way to me. It’s a great one on Riverside. Stay tuned for that.
I’m continuing making videos for my YouTube channel, where I will go through albums from the collection and talk about what I think of them and add some 1st pressing info as well regarding each title. Check it out, subscribe and leave a comment if you want. Hope to see you there. The link to the channel is: https://www.youtube.com/@fwrarejazzvinylcollector
Enjoy your collections folks, cheers!