Meteor (T. Farlow) [3:39]
Scouby’s Spring (R. Hannah) [5:15]
Very Early (B. Evans) [7:40]
Brown’s Bag (T. Baldwin) [6:54]
Blues for Berthas (T. Baldwin) [3:58]
Tangoesque (P. Cunneff) [5:40]
Doxy Mae (R. Hannah) [4:12]
Bluesusphere (P. Cunneff) [5:13]
Born to be Blue (M. Tormé / R. Wells)
[7:22]
Close Enough for Love (J. Mandel) [7:03]
I Hear Something (R. Hannah) [4:33]
Clouds (Ferreira / Einborn) [5:42]
I’ll Never Smile Again (R. Lewis) [4:43]
Rick Hannah (guitar)
Tom Baldwin (bass)
Phil Cunneff (drums)
Recorded at Roeder Studios, Monkton, Maryland,
2001
A thoroughly engaging album,
in line of descent from some of the great
guitarists of bop and later – from such as
Tal Farlow and Jimmy Raney through Pat Martino
and beyond.
Hannah’s early professional
experience was chiefly in fusion bands, notably
with the bands of Alphonse Mouzon and Brian
Auger. Becoming frustrated with the limitations
of fusion, Hannah determined to return to
his first love, jazz. He found work with the
group of tenor player Billy Mitchell. Living
in Baltimore – though he has since moved to
France - he formed a trio with Baldwin and
Cunneff – both well established on the jazz-scene
there. They issued an album, Oui Bop,
recorded in 2000. Appearing now is its successor,
full of accomplished music making.
The repertoire of Encore
Oui Bop is well chosen. There are standards
which aren’t over familiar – such as Ruth
Lowe’s ‘I’ll Never Smile Again’, famously
recorded by Sinatra with Tommy Dorsey, as
well as by Billie Holiday, and ‘Close Enough
for Love’, popular with vocalists such as
Peggy Lee, Shirley Horn and Dianne Reeves.
‘Born to Be Blue’ is also a popular number
with vocalists – such as Tormé, Helen
Merrill and Ella Fitzgerald – but also relevant
is the version by the great guitarist Grant
Green on Blue Note. There’s a seductively
played bossa nova ‘Clouds’, written
by Durval Ferreira and Mauricio Einhorn, which
was recorded by – amongst others, Cannonball
Adderley with Ferreira himself on guitar,
and Stan Getz. There are originals by all
the members of the trio.
The work of the trio is characterised
by a high level of empathy, of seemingly intuitive
anticipation of, or immediate response to,
one another’s playing. Hannah can handle bop
changes with panache, as on Tal Farlow’s ‘Meteor’;
he is a fluent blues player, and he can turn
in an excellent ballad, as evidenced by his
work on Johnny Mandel’s ‘Close Enough For
Love’. But this album isn’t just about Hannah.
Baldwin and Cunneff get a good hearing too,
whether as composers – Cunneff’s ‘Tangoesque’
is particularly attractive, as an accomplished
rhythm section, notably on ‘Clouds’, ‘Doxy
Mae’ and ‘I Hear Something’, and also as occasional
soloists – Baldwin plays engagingly on ‘Brown’s
Bag’ and Cunneff is impressive on ‘I Hear
Something’. But perhaps the greatest stress
should be placed on the absoluteness with
which this trio plays as a group; the interaction
is a joy to hear.
Very much worth a listen
for any aficionado of modern jazz guitar.
Glyn Pursglove
CD Reviews
MAINSTEM MSTCD 0038 [72:40] 
