Mike LeDonne Quintet - Waltz For An Urbanite

1996

An excellent hard bop pianist, Mike LeDonne is teamed on this Criss Cross CD with vibraphonist Steve Nelson, guitarist Peter Bernstein, bassist Peter Washington, and drummer Kenny Washington. Although LeDonne and Nelson are not innovative voices on their instruments, they are top-notch interpreters and certainly play well in boppish settings. This disc features four LeDonne originals; the standard "Don't Blame Me"; and such obscurities as Jimmy Heath's "Re-Rev," Ray Brown's "F.S.R," Ahmad Jamal's "Tranquility," and Lucky Thompson's "Monsoon." Recommended for hard bop collectors.

Waltz for an Urbanite Review by Scott Yanow