Kenny Werner Trio - With a Song in My Heart (2015) [Hi-Res]

Kenny Werner has consistently delivered outstanding results on his many record dates as a leader, yet he often seems like he is still a talent deserving of wider recognition after decades on the jazz scene. This trio session for the Japanese label Venus features the pianist with bassist Johannes Weidenmüller and drummer Ari Hoenig, two outstanding players who are a good bit younger than the leader. It is hard not to detect the influence of Bill Evans upon Werner in spots, especially in his lyrical touch, though he is far more than an Evans clone. Werner opens Miles Davis' modal masterpiece "Nardis" with an unusual introductory vamp that almost suggests that he is setting up "When Johnny Comes Marching Home," then switches into an Aaron Copland-flavored improvisation before revealing his true destination, yet never detouring into the familiar ground of Evans' many recordings of the piece. Likewise, Werner's impressionistic setting of "Blue in Green" is impressive. Werner's "Beauty Secrets" reveals itself slowly, finally segueing into the centuries-old "Greensleeves." Having worked with a number of singers, including Betty Buckley and Roseanna Vitro, Werner knows his way around standards especially well, including an elegant "With a Song in My Heart," an understated "Autumn Leaves," and a lively "All the Things You Are."

Review by Ken Dryden