It Might as Well Be Spring

Kenny Drew's 1981 solo piano session for Soul Note is a notch better than his 1973 Steeplechase CD, Everything I Love. In the space of less than a decade, the veteran shows tremendous growth in his updated treatment of "Yesterdays," playing stride, adding a bit of blues and Art Tatum-like runs into a virtuoso arrangement. His playful setting of "It Might as Well Be Spring" is also a bit eclectic, as if the pianist is playing for his own entertainment rather than making a CD. His compositions include the dramatic, Spanish-flavored "The Quiet Cathedral," the glistening ballad "Sunset," and the mysterious "Dreams," the latter suggesting more of a nightmare with its extensive use of the sustain pedal and tense atmosphere. Drew's arrangement of John Lewis' "Django" is elegant and true to the composer's intentions, while distinctively played with his own stamp. Sahib Shihab's "The Smile of Tanya" is likely to be less familiar to most jazz fans, but Drew uncovers an overlooked gem with his sensitive treatment. ~ Ken Dryden