Heaven

by Scott YanowOther than an album for the Italian Red label the previous March, this CD from the defunct Black-Hawk label was the first to feature trumpeter Tom Harrell with the Phil Woods Quintet. At this point in time, bassist Steve Gilmore and drummer Bill Goodwin had been with the band since its beginning 12 years before, while pianist Hal Galper was a five-year veteran. The repertoire on the set is quite strong, with a pair of less-played Duke Ellington pieces (the beautiful "Heaven" and "Azure") being performed along with Dave Brubeck's "The Duke," Sam Rivers' "222," the standard "I'm Getting Sentimental Over You" and Harrell's "Occurrence." Phil Woods sounds quite inspired throughout the date by Harrell's presence, giving him another horn to work off of. Recommended.