Helen Sung Trio - Helenistique (2006)

"I've always wanted to record a CD of jazz standards - I enjoy the challenge of making a standard "mine," and here are some of my favorites. The original "H*Town" is in reference to my hometown Houston, TX, a place with a twang all its own... ~ Helen. 

Helenistique, Helen's remarkable follow-up to 'Push', finds her in a trio setting with the amazing drummer Lewis Nash and young bass phenom Derrick Hodge. Piano great Benny Green writes of the recording "I am certain that anyone... will readily appreciate the life-affirming joy, the unmistakable intelligence, and most significantly, the love and dedication which Helen, Derrick, and Lewis have put into this beautiful set of music." ~ freshsoundrecords.com. 

Fresh Sound New Talent, FSNT 251, 2006
Recorded 18th (#1-9,11,12) & 9th (#10) May, 2005
at Acoustic Recording, Brooklyn, New York 

Musicians:
Helen Sung - Piano, Arranger
Derrick Hodge - Bass
Lewis Nash - Drums 

Tracks:
01. H*Town {Helen Sung} (3:01)
02. Lover {Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart} (4:16)
03. Sweet & Lovely {Arnheim, Tobias, Daniels} (6:47)
04. Voyage {Kenny Barron} (7:09)
05. Willow Weep For Me {Ann Ronell} (4:54)
06. Where Or When {Rodgers, Hart} (4:38)
07. Black Narcissus {Joe Henderson} (6:03)
08. Bye Ya {Thelonious Monk} (5:49)
09. Cottontai {Duke Ellington} (3:04)
10. Carolina Shout {James P. Johnson} (3:59)
11. Alphabest Street {Prince} (3:59)
12. H*Town [Reprise] {Helen Sung} (2:08) 

Total Time: 55:21 

Credits:
Producer, Liner Notes - Helen Sung
Executive-Producer - Jordi Pujol
Recording & Mixing Engineer - Michael Brorby
Mastering Engineer - Chris Herles
CD Photography & Design - Misterarmando Design
Liner Notes - Benny Green

Lover

Hikari Ichihara - Sara Smile (2006)

Indeed, a very talented trumpeter has emerged. Hikari Ichihara's 2nd album was recorded in New York. Famous New York musicians (Dr: Louis Nash, B: Peter Washington, P: Adam Birnbaum, Sax: Grant Stewart, Tp: Dominic Farinacci). No matter what I say, the tone is wonderful. Both the trumpet and the flugelhorn have a really nice sound, especially the mid-bass. Her performances, which must have clearly learned the basics of classical music, will serve as a perfect role model for young people who are starting to develop an interest in jazz from brass bands. Not only that, but don't miss the improvised melody and astounding phrases that are sure to make her jazz-obsessed parents’ groan. There is a really pleasant flow of sound. She also says that 5 of the 9 songs are arranged by herself. Hmm. This is also amazing. Her song selection ranges from jazz standards (Cleopatra's Dream, It Could Happen to You, etc.) to pop hits (Fragile, Sara Smile, Close to you, etc.) and there is a great variety of original songs composed by her. It's a convincing album that earned her a Gold Disk from Swing Journal. ~ toppe2.web.fc2.com. [Translated from Japanese] 

Pony Canyon, PCCY-60003, 2006 

Musicians:
Hikari Ichihara - Trumpet, Flugelhorn
Dominick Farinacci - Trumpet
Grant Stewart - Tenor Saxophone
Adam Birnbaum - Piano
Peter Washington - Bass
Lewis Nash - Drums 

Tracks:
1. Cleopatra’s Dream {Bud Powell} (6:03)
2. Fragile {Sting} (7:10)
3. Blue Prelude {Joe Bishop} (5:52)
4. It Could Happen To You {Johnny Burke, Jimmy Van Heusen} (4:55)
5. I’ve Got It {David Rose, Jack Teagarden} (8:49)
6. Sara Smile {John Oates, Daryl Hall} (5:44)
7. Golden Earrings {Ray Evans, Jay Livingston, Victor Young} (6:02)
8. Intro {Hikari Ichihara} (7:11)
9. Close To You {Burt Bacharach, Hal David} (6:48) 

Total Time: 58:37 

Sara Smile

Saori Yano - Little Tiny (2007)

Saori started playing alto saxophone in a brass band at the age of nine. She was enthralled by the music and playing of Charlie Parker and got quite obsessed with jazz. At the age of 14, she was captivated by Billie Holiday's autobiography and so started her live activities by negotiating to appear at a jazz club. In September 2003, she made her sensational debut at the age of 16 and as the second Japanese artist to be signed to the prestigious Savoy jazz label. In the spring of 2007, she appeared in a commercial as a new Asian beauty of Kao "Asience". She recorded the original song "I & I" used in the commercial, and with her first best album at the age of 20 won the 22nd Japan Gold Disc Award and Jazz Album of the Year. Overall, she got a lot of attention beyond the boundaries of jazz. From that time on she earnestly worked on "Bebop", the origin of modern jazz, and at the same time performed live not only in Japan but also in New York. By enlarge, she made the world aware of the coming of a new generation of jazz. In this regard, this album is a testament of her talent/s as a bright new emerging star in the jazz world today! 

Savoy Records, COCB-53685, 2007
Recorded 26th & 27th September, 2007 at Clinton Recording Studio, New York 

Musicians:
Saori Yano - Alto Saxophone
Doctor Lonnie Smith - Organ [Hammond] (#1-9)
Yuta Kaneko - Organ [Hammond] (#10)
Peter Bernstein - Guitar (#1-9)
Yoshihiko Hosono - Guitar (#10)
Lewis Nash - Drums (#1-9)
Nobuyuki Komatsu - Drums (#10)
Hibari Misora - Vocals (#10) 

Tracks:
01. My Baby Shot Me Down {Saori Yano} (8:18)
02. Split Kick {Horace Silver} (6:43)
03. Close To You {Burt Bacharach} (7:27)
04. She Rote {Charlie Parker} (5:30)
05. Velvet Easter {Yumi Arai} (6:36)
06. Boplicity {Cleo Henry} (8:35)
07. Pardon Lucy {Saori Yano} (7:46)
08. KC Blues {Charlie Parker} (8:42)
09. Danny Boy {Irish Folk Song} (5:31)
10. Take The "A" Train {Billy Strayhorn} (3:49) * 

Total Time: 69:03

* Special Tribute Track 

Boplicity

Ayumi Koketsu - Balladist (2014)

This is Japanese jazz alto saxophonist Ayumi Koketsu's second in her New York series, the previous work "Brooklyn Purple". It is a collection of ballads with the support of top-notch New York musicians: pianist David Hazeltine, bassist David Williams and drummer Lewis Nash. Ayumi weaves an air of soft and smooth phrases that penetrate your heart, bringing forth a warm and enveloping atmosphere. The album is predominantly made up of well-known jazz standards with only two of Ayumi's own compositions. Essentially, the performance spins out phrases that soak in deep, creating a soothing album for all occasions, enjoy! 

M & I Records, MYCJ-30647, 2014
Recorded 29th, 30th & 31st July, 2014 at Systems Two, Brooklyn, New York City 

Musicians:
Ayumi Koketsu - Alto Saxophone
David Hazeltine - Piano
David Williams - Bass
Lewis Nash - Drums

Tracks:
1. Autumn In New York {Vernon Duke} (7:34)
2. The Good Life {Sacha Distel} (6:52)
3. Beatrix {Ayumi Koketsu} (5:13)
4. Dedicated To You {Cahn, Zaret, Chaplin} (7:44)
5. Flora {Ayumi Koketsu} (6:03)
6. Night Lights {Gerry Mulligan} (7:34)
7. Setembro {Peranzzetta, Lins, Winbush} (6:09)
8. Detour Ahead {Ellis, Frigo, Carter} (8:24) 

Total Time: 55:37 

Credits:
Producer - Hiro Yamashita
Executive-Producer - Ryuichi Sawazaki
Recording & Mixing Engineer - Max Ross
Mastering Engineer - Shuji Nose
Art Direction, Design - Mayumi Matsumura
Photography - Yuji Susaki, Takehiko Tokiwa 

Beatrix

Steve Turre - TNT (2001)

Steve Turre offers his first quintet project with TNT - Trombone ‘N’ Tenor, an exciting collection of eight compositions dedicated to a select group of jazz elders. Turre plays with three different quintets and is joined by tenor saxophonists James Carter, Dewey Redman and David Sanchez. Turre focuses purely on trombone, a departure from his previous releases that have included his exceptional playing on the conch shells. The ensemble boasts an astonishing repertoire of historic compositions by Stanley Turrentine, Hoagy Carmichael, and Benny Goodman as wells as four originals penned by Steve Turre. Among the highlights are an unforgettable version of "Stompin' At The Savoy" that features Dewey Redman's inimitable sax phrasings and nuance, the eleven minute "Dewey's Dance," a modal tune in ¾ time that captivates you with Stephen Scott's piano elegance, and the technical virtuosity of James Carter and Steve Turre's open-horn plunger orations on "Hallelujah, I Love Her So." Unlike his In The Spur of The Moment recording which featured Turre's mastery of the Ellington-style of muted playing, TNT - Trombone ‘N' Tenor treats listeners to Turre's enjoyable art of the plunger-Basie style. David Sanchez's Afro-Cuban voice proves to be the perfect complement for Turre's clave and horn playing on "Puente of Soul." Together with the percussive fuel played by Giovanni Hidalgo, the ensemble reaches new heights in Turre's repertoire of Afro-Cuban jazz. ~ by Paula Edelstein, AMG. 

Telarc Jazz, CD-63529, 2001
Recorded 9th-10th November, 2000 in Avatar Studio B & C, New York City 

Personnel:
Steve Turre - Trombone, Claves
James Carter - Tenor Saxophone (#1,4-6)
Dewey Redman - Tenor Saxophone (#3,8)
David Sanchez - Tenor Saxophone (#2,3,7,8)
Mulgrew Miller - Piano (#1,4-6)
Stephen Scott - Piano (#2,3,7,8)
Buster Williams - Bass (#1,4-6)
Peter Washington - Bass (#2,3,7,8)
Victor Lewis - Drums (#1,4-6)
Lewis Nash - Drums (#2,3,7,8)
Giovanni Hidalgo - Congas, Timbales, Campana (#2,7) 

Tracks:
1. Back In The Day {Stanley Turrentine} (6:39)
2. Puente Of Soul {Steve Turre} (6:10)
3. Stompin' At The Savoy {Benny Goodman, Edgar Sampson, Chick Webb} (8:12)
4. The Nearness Of You {Hoagy Carmichael} (8:18)
5. Hallelujah, I Love Her So {Ray Charles} (5:00)
6. Eric The Great {Steve Turre} (8:55)
7. E.J. {Stanley Turrentine} (5:11)
8. Dewey's Dance {Steve Turre} (11:04) 

Credits:
Producer - Steve Turre, Myles Weinstein
Executive Producer - Robert Woods
Recording And Mixing Engineer - Robert Friedrich
Technical Assistant - Mark Fraunfelder, Ricardo Fernandez
Editor - Robert Friedrich
Cover Photo - John Abbott
Cover Design - Heidi Kropf, Brian Sooy & Co.
Art Director - Anilda Carrasquillo
Liner Notes - Ted Panken, Downbeat, Jazziz, WKCR

Steve Turre - Lotus Flower (1997)

You might call Lotus Flower an act of relaxation after the strenuous exercise of the Steve Turre album, for Turre reduces forces and idioms to a more-or-less straight-ahead sextet and concentrates almost entirely upon the trombone. In doing so, he re-stakes his claim to being one of the outstanding voices on the trombone of his time, turning some lovely playing on "The Fragrance of Love" and "Sposin'" and some extremely agile bop work at a fleet pace on "Blackfoot" -- to cite two extremes. But this sextet has no ordinary front line; Turre shares the spotlight with a violinist (Regina Carter) and a cellist (Akua Dixon), thus deliberately managing to avoid the trumpet/saxophone axis entirely. Now and then, Turre also throws in a seventh element, Kimati Dinizulu's percussion or Don Conreaux's gong, to add exotic and spiritual flavors to the menu. Carter gets far more swinging time than Dixon on the album -- indeed, Carter's spiritual forefather seems to be Joe Venuti -- while Dixon gets typecast into the warm, lyrical role that cellists usually fulfill. Mulgrew Miller (piano, Buster Williams (bass) and Lewis Nash (drums) form the solidly mainstream rhythm section that is, however, occasionally asked to do unconventional things. Fortunately, there are enough off-center textures and quirks on this album to sustain Turre's yen for adventure in the '90s -- and on the rhythmically Balkanized "Shorty," Turre's conch shells make a welcome if brief cameo return. ~ by Richard S. Ginell, AMG. 

Verve Records, 559 787-2, 1999
Recorded And Mixed 28th-29tth December, 1997 at Edison Recording Studios, New York 

Musicians:
Steve Turre - Trombone, Shells, Conch (#10)
Regina Carter - Violin
Akua Dixon - Cello
Mulgrew Miller - Piano
Buster Williams - Bass
Lewis Nash - Drums
Kimati Dinizulu - Djembe (#1), Percussion (#10)
Don Conreaux - Gong (#3,5) 

Tracks:
01. The Lotus Flower {Steve Turre} (5:52)
02. Chairman Of The Board {Steve Turre} (6:40)
03. The Inflated Tear {Rahsaan Roland Kirk} (6:55)
04. The Organ Grinder {Woody Shaw} (6:28)
05. Passion For Peace {Steve Turre} (2:03)
06. S'posin' {Andy Razaf, Paul Denniker} (6:48)
07. The Fragrance Of Love {Steve Turre} (6:22)
08. Blackfoot {Steve Turre} (7:03)
09. Goodbye {Gordon Jenkins} (7:23)
10. Shorty {Steve Turre} (5:42) 

Credits:
Producer - Billy Banks
Executive-Producer - Richard Seidel
Production Manager - Camille Tominaro
Engineer - Gary Chester
Assistant Engineer - Jim Murray, Yvonne Yedibalian
Coordinator [Release Coordination] - Beverly Harris
Art Direction, Design - Chika Azuma
Artwork - Istvan Banyai
Arranger - Steve Turre

Sumi Tonooka - Here Comes Kai (1992)

Named for her toddler son, this 1991 trio album from Sumi Tonooka is a pleasure to listen to from start to finish. Accompanied by Rufus Reid on bass and Lewis Nash on drums, it's an an album of good, uncomplicated but inventive post-bop jazz; the trio format naturally provides an intimate listening experience and it's a fairly relaxed (and relaxing) album with some new takes on some jazz standards (Giant Steps, Warm Valley, UMMG) and five originals including the title track. A fine example of Tonooka's musicianship from a discography that is lamentably small for a pianist of her calibre. ~ J. McDonald, Amazon. com.

Candid Productions, CCD 79516, 1992
Recorded 28th March 1991 at Clinton Studios, New York City 

Musicians:
Sumi Tonooka - Piano
Rufus Reid - Bass
Lewis Nash - Drums 

Tracks:
1. Giant Steps {John Coltrane} (6:08)
2. It Must Be Real {Sumi Tonooka} (7:23)
3. At Home {Sumi Tonooka} (8:41)
4. In The Void {Sumi Tonooka} (8:04)
5. Warm Valley {Duke Ellington} (6:49)
6. Upper Manhattan Medical Group {Billy Strayhorn} (7:22)
7. The Mystery {Sumi Tonooka} (7:45)
8. Here Comes Kai {Sumi Tonooka} (4:52) 

Total Time: 57:04

Credits:
Producer - Yoshio Maki
Executive-Producer - Alan Bates
Engineer - Gene Curts
Design - Harry Bates
Liner Notes - Brian Priestley

Renee Rosnes - Black Narcissus (2008)

On this release from M&I, Rosnes is paired with the strongest rhythm section a pianist could ask for, Peter Washington on bass and Lewis Nash on drums, and plays Henderson's compositions and jazz standards he played often. Many of the arrangements are reflective of what they used to play together. While Washington and Nash support the leader superbly and turn in great solos when they are called for, it is Rosnes who is front and center in this great trio album. She shines with her beautiful tone, crisp touch, precise rhythm and great swing. Her technique is brilliant, and she shows her deep understanding of the bebop and modal traditions of jazz piano. As we come to expect from all M&I releases, the sound quality of the recording is also superb. A very strong trio album. 

M&I Music Inc., MYCJ-30473, 2008
Recorded 30th-31st January, 2008 at Bennett Studios, New Jersey 

Musicians:
Renee Rosnes - Piano
Peter Washington - Bass
Lewis Nash - Drums 

Tracks:
01. Black Narcissus {Joe Henderson} (4:08)
02. Without A Song {Vincent Youmans} (6:10)
03. You Know I Care {Duke Pearson} (5:59)
04. Beatrice {Sam Rivers} (8:05)
05. Recorda Me {Joe Henderson} (5:36)
06. Chelsea Bridge {Billy Strayhorn} (4:29)
07. Isotope {Joe Henderson} (4:46)
08. What's New {Bob Haggart} (5:47)
09. Serenity {Joe Henderson} (4:34)
10. Night And Day {Cole Porter} (4:09) 

Total Time: 53:43

Credits:
Producer - Makoto Kimata (Key'stone Music), Todd Barkan
Co-Producer - Hiro Yamashita
Executive Producer - Kei Hosoji
Recording Engineer - Katherine Miller
Assistant Engineer - Travis Stefl
Mastering Engineer - Kazuhiro Yamagata [CD Design]
Director - Tatsumi Hayashi
Design - Masanori Yasuda [NPC]
Photo - John Abbott
Photo [Joe & Renee] - Mary Jane
Liner Notes - Renee Rosnes 

Rene Rosnes is a terrific piano player. Exceptional does not do justice to her chops. Here she is doing a Joe Henderson tribute CD (she first played with him early on in her career in '87) with ace Peter Washington whom she plays with often and the fantastic stick man Lewis Nash. The tempo is mostly fast. I found myself not distinguishing the songs from one another and had to concentrate to associate them with Henderson or anybody else. For instance, “Beatrice" the great Sam Rivers tune just loses its character. "Isotope" and "What' New" just blend in with each other. Not until the last cut do, they go from a high energy to really kicking it into overdrive and do an impressive "Night And Day" and those who know Joe Henderson will recall his version that ends his "Inner Urge" LP. I don't know what the hell Cole Porter would have thought of it, but they capture that over the top feeling the Henderson’s version had. This is a good yet not great CD which given the material and players should have been superb. ~ Extract by C. Katz, Amazon.com.

Houston Person - Naturally (2012)

Active on the scene for decades, 78-year-old tenor saxophonist Houston Person still seems to be a discovery for some. Both newcomers to his music and longtime fans will no doubt enjoy this latest recording featuring a formidable group: veteran pianist Cedar Walton (with whom Person first collaborated in the 1960s), bassist Ray Drummond and drummer Lewis Nash. Person showcases his warm, enveloping tone and big sound, steeped in bop, blues and the Great American Songbook, on a set of beloved tunes, some still relatively unexplored. Opening is Milt Jackson’s “Bags’ Groove,” where Walton takes the first solo, laidback yet abounding with spirit and sentiment; Person stretches out in luxurious fashion while Drummond and Nash contribute their own groove-enhancing statements. One of three ballads in the program, “My Foolish Heart” illustrates Person’s fundamental approach to his horn, eloquently expressing heartfelt emotion in much the same way a vocalist might. Nash’s swinging brushwork shines on the sumptuous “That’s All” and “How Little We Know,” and Walton shimmers on “Red Sails in the Sunset.” The Ellington/Hodges gem “It Shouldn’t Happen to a Dream,” largely unrecorded since the 1950s, is revived in grand style, with poignant solos by Person and Walton, as Nash and Brown sustain taut yet fluid movement. Recorded at the legendary Van Gelder Studio, this throwback album is nonetheless fresh and imaginative. Aptly titled, it’s a relaxed, compelling set on which Person and his bandmates demonstrate unaffected dexterity, swing and soul. ~ Sharonne Cohen, JazzTimes. 

HighNote Records, HCD 7245, 2012
Recorded 5th July, 2012 At Van Gelder Recording Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey 

Musicians:
Houston Person - Tenor Saxophone
Cedar Walton - Piano
Ray Drummond - Bass
Lewis Nash - Drums 

Tracks:
1. Bag's Groove {Milt Jackson} (7:09)
2. That's All {Bob Haymes} (5:52)
3. [How Little It Matters] How Little We Know {Phil Springer, Carolyn Leigh} (4:30)
4. Namely You {Gene DePaul, Johnny Mercer} (6:53)
5. My Foolish Heart {Victor Young, Ned Washington} (6:34)
6. Red Sails In The Sunset {Wilhelm Grosz, Jimmy Kennedy} (4:25)
7. Don' Cha Go 'Way Mad {Illinois Jacquet, Jimmy Mundy, Al Stillman} (5:38)
8. It Shouldn't Happen To A Dream {Duke Ellington, Johnny Hodges, Don George} (5:54)
9. Sunday {Jule Styne, Chester Conn, Bennie Krueger, Ned Miller} (5:24) 

Total Time: 52:18

Credits:
Producer - Houston Person
Executive Producer - Joe Fields
Engineer, Mixing, Mastering - Rudy van Gelder
Assistant Engineer - Maureen Sickler
Photography - Alan Nahigian
Design - Brad Wrolstad
Liner Notes - David Jaye

Lewis Nash - It Don't Mean A Thing (2005)

For this session Lewis is accompanied by vibist Steve Nelson, pianist Jeb Patton and bassist Peter Washington. Most of the tunes are trio performances with drums, vibes and bass, with only three songs in a quartet formation with pianist Jeb Patton. There are a number of instances on this disc, where Nash as the leader plays some great solos, but never dominates. In addition, Steve Nelson is well featured playing in a crisp mid-tempo across many of the tracks. Meanwhile the driving rhythm of Peter Washington's running basslines push a tight sound are a standout. Not to overlook the comping of Jeb Patton adding further dynamism with differing chords, rhythms, and countermelodies. Overall, this album is a showcase of well-known jazz standards including "Skeeter Blues" by Nash, that that truly swing! 

M&I Jazz, MYCJ-30250, 2005
Recorded 2003? 

Musicians:
Lewis Nash - Drums
Steve Nelson - Vibraphone
Jeb Patton - Piano (#3,9,10)
Peter Washington - Bass 

Tracks:
01. It Don't Mean A Thing {Duke Ellington, Irving Mills} (6:56)
02. Caravan {Duke Ellington, Juan Tizol} (9:27)
03. Sophisticated Lady {Duke Ellington} (6:44)
04. Tico Tico {Zequinha de Abreu} (4:08)
05. Strollin' {Horace Silver} (5:25)
06. Body And Soul {Green, Heyman, Sour, Eyton} (7:13)
07. Close Your Eyes {Bernice Petkere} (6:01)
08. How Insensitive {Antônio Carlos Jobim} (5:27)
09. We'll Be Together Again {Carl T. Fischer, Frankie Laine} (5:11)
10. Skeeter Blues {Lewis Nash} (3:41) 

Total Time: 60:13 

Producer - Makoto Kimata, Todd Barkan 

"Everything depends on how daring you want to be," he said. "Parameters exist in any musical situation, and they force you to get the most from the least. You try not to limit yourself to 'this is how you're supposed to play this kind of music.' You jump in, let your ears dictate, and keep all options on the table. I might borrow some sound or approach from an avant garde context that works in the middle of trading fours on a blues. Sound can cross genres and styles. It's just a sound. It's your job to figure out how to use that sound tastefully and in context. The more things you've done, the more you'll be able to interject something new." ~ Lewis Nash.

Roy Hargrove - Family (1995)

This well-rounded set not only features trumpeter Roy Hargrove with his mid-'90s quintet (tenor saxophonist Ron Blake, pianist Stephen Scott, bassist Rodney Whitaker, and drummer Gregory Hutchinson) but with two other rhythm sections and a few special guests. The first three selections (which includes the up-tempo blues "Brian's Bounce") are called "Trilogy" and dedicated to various family members. Hargrove shows off his warm tone on "The Nearness of You" (a ballads with strings album was in the near future), and other highlights include the lyrical "Pas de Trois," a duet by Hargrove and bassist Walter Booker on Larry Willis' "Ethiopia," and a driving version of "Firm Roots." A meeting between Hargrove and Wynton Marsalis on the bop standard "Nostalgia" is disappointingly tame, but otherwise this is a high-quality modern hard bop release. ~ by Scott Yanow, AMG.

Verve Records, 314 527 630-2, 1995

Recorded 26^th-29^th January, 1995 At Studio B, Clinton Recording Studios, NY

Musicians:

Roy Hargrove - Trumpet, Flugelhorn

Ron Blake - Soprano & Tenor Saxophones

Jesse Davis - Alto Saxophone

David "Fathead" Newman - Tenor Saxophone, Flute

Wynton Marsalis - Trumpet

Stephen Scott, John Hicks, Larry Willis, Ronnie Mathews - Piano

Troy Halderson - Synthesizer

Rodney Whitaker, Christian McBride, Walter Booker - Bass

Gregory Hutchinson, Lewis Nash, Jimmy Cobb, Karriem Riggins - Drums

Tracks:

01. Velera {Roy Hargrove} (2:22)

02. Roy Allen {Roy Hargrove} (3:48)

03. Brian's Bounce {Roy Hargrove} (4:56)

04. The Nearness Of You {Hoagy Carmichael, Ned Washington} (7:03)

05. Lament For Love {Ronnie Mathews} (4:01)

06. Another Level {Roy Hargrove} (6:23)

07. A Dream Of You {Christian McBride} (6:11)

08. Pas De Trois {Paul Arslanian} (8:39)

09. Polka Dots And Moonbeams {Johnny Burke, James Van Heusen} (5:36)

10. The Challenge {Roy Hargrove} (3:46)

11. Ethiopia {Larry Willis} (3:36)

12. Nostalgia {Fats Navarro} (6:00)

13. Thirteenth Floor {David "Fathead" Newman} (5:57)

14. Firm Roots {Cedar Walton} (6:51)

15. The Trial {Roy Hargrove} (3:38)

Credits:

Producer - Roy Hargrove, Larry Clothier

Executive Producer - Richard Seidel

Engineer - Troy Halderson

Editing, Engineer, Mastering, Sequencing - Ed Rak

Assistant - Mark Agostino, Jonathon Mooney

Photography - Jimmy Katz, Michael Lavine

Art Direction - David Lau

Art Direction, Design - Patricia Lie

May He Rest In Peace