Jon Mayer - Full Circle (2002)

Using bop of the 1950s as his foundation, pianist Jon Mayer has developed a personal modern mainstream style that always swings. On this fine CD, Mayer is teamed with bassist Rufus Reid and drummer Victor Lewis. While Reid and Lewis are both highly alert players (reacting quickly to Mayer's ideas) and have some short solos, the focus throughout is mostly on the pianist, who is heard in top form. Mayer performs two of his originals (the medium-tempo blues "Round Up the Usual Suspects" and "Full Circle"), Tom Harrell's "From Now On," and seven superior standards, including "Night and Day," a cooking version of Billy Strayhorn's "Day Dream" (which is usually played as a ballad), "Stolen Moments," and a heated "Falling in Love With Love." His chord voicings are fairly original, he is able to come up with chorus after chorus of colorful ideas, and this trio works very well together. This is one of Jon Mayer's best all-around recordings to date and is easily recommended to fans of straight-ahead jazz. © Scott Yanow