Blue Fable

2007 studio album by Larry Willis
Blue Fable
Studio album by
Larry Willis
ReleasedJanuary 30, 2007
RecordedOctober 2, 2006
StudioVan Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, NJ
GenreJazz
Length54:28
LabelHighNote
HCD 7163
ProducerDon Sickler
Larry Willis chronology
The Big Push
(2006) 		Blue Fable
(2007) 		The Offering
(2008)

Blue Fable is an album by pianist Larry Willis which was recorded in 2006 and released on the Highnote label early the following year.[1][2]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[3]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings[4]

Allmusic's Ken Dryden reviewed the album stating "Larry Willis' second CD for HighNote is a provocative affair, alternating between a trio and quintet as the pianist takes a fresh look at well-known pieces, along with more recent compositions by participants on the date. ... Highly recommended".[3] All About Jazz' Donald Elfman observed "it sounds like a smart jazz group having fun. The horn players — alto saxophonist Joe Ford and trombonist Steve Davis — are longtime associates of Willis' and play with funk and sass but never as showboaters, listening carefully and beautifully complementing the sterling trio (bassist Eddie Gomez and drummer Billy Drummond) on four of the tunes here as well as each contributing a composition. And a sterling trio it is. They can find the sweetness in a ballad — Willis has always made it a point of learning lyrics and Drummond and Gomez must do the same — and then a minute later, knock your socks off with something up-tempo".[5] JazzTimes' Mike Joyce noted "It’s easy to take Larry Willis’ gifts for granted, since the veteran pianist who has contributed to countless studio sessions over the years always seems to elevate the level of play. But Blue Fable opens with such a delightful jolt that even longtime listeners will sit up and take notice".[6]

Track listing

All compositions by Larry Willis except where noted

  1. "Rhythm-a-Ning" (Thelonious Monk) – 6:30
  2. "Insidious Behavior" – 4:56
  3. "Nardis" (Miles Davis) – 7:09
  4. "Blue Fable" (Jackie McLean) – 5:42
  5. "Never Let Me Go" (Jay Livingston, Ray Evans) – 7:23
  6. "Landscape" (Joe Ford) – 5:22
  7. "Who's Kidding Who" – 8:09
  8. "Prayer for New Orleans" (Steve Davis) – 9:17

Personnel

Production

References

  1. ^ Larry Willis discography accessed December 14, 2018
  2. ^ Jazz Depot: album details accessed December 14, 2018
  3. ^ a b Dryden, Ken. Larry Willis: Blue Fable – Review at AllMusic. Retrieved December 12, 2018.
  4. ^ Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (9th ed.). Penguin. p. 1514. ISBN 978-0-141-03401-0.
  5. ^ Elfman, D., All About Jazz Review, accessed December 14, 2018
  6. ^ Joyce, M., JazzTimes Review, accessed December 14, 2018
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