David Newton Trio - In Good Company (1994)

One of the most promising pianists to emerge on the English jazz scene during the second half of the 20th century is David Newton, though he has yet to make a name for himself in the U.S. due to the erratic distribution of his recordings, all of which have been for English labels. These 1994 studio sessions for Candid include bassist Dave Green and drummer Allan Ganley. The brisk waltz setting of Rodgers & Hart's "My Romance" is immediately followed by a captivating treatment of their "There's a Small Hotel," with a particularly haunting solo performance by the leader. Newton's compositions are also delightful, starting off with the playful post-bop "Get Lost" and the gorgeous pastoral ballad "Blessed Land." Ganley contributed the easygoing bossa nova "June Time," while Green and Newton jointly created their tasty duo blues with "Sugar Cake." The addition of a synthesizer proves distracting in Newton's "Older and Wiser," though all is well with his hard bop finale "When Will I See You?" If you haven't yet discovered David Newton, this CD is a great place to start.
Most of the David Newton compositions in this set were written in a couple of weeks. While he regards the album title as an expression of the way he felt about his sidemen Dave Green and Allan Ganley, it also refers to the piano trio as a unit and its components, three of the most accomplished and communicative musicians on the British Jazz scene.