THE TRIO VOLUMES 1 &2 are two fine, suave sets from a 1985 live concert. This volume, recorded the next year, finds the Trio sounding even looser and swinging harder. It opens with an easy swinging version of Neal Hefti's "Girl Talk from Harlow." Cedar Walton's piano playing throughout is utterly relaxed. Solidly grounded in bop, Walton's choice of material always reflects an eclectic and refined sensibility. "Fantasy in D (Ugetsu)," a modal Walton original, recalls Coltrane; here the trio sounds loose, joyful, and unforced. "Ground Work" is a vehicle for drummer Billy Higgins. Fast and friendly, the melody weaves in and out of an extraordinarily musical drum solo in a radical composition cloaked in a conservative harmonic language. The album ends with Charlie Parker's "Relaxing at Camarillo." It's a rare pleasure to hear Walton playing bop, pure and simple. The trio swings remarkably well here. Walton's touch is rich and dynamic, his voicings slightly spicy, his solo concise.

Rovi