George Wallington's technique was huge. When he played, especially with a trio, he filled the space around him with tons of piano. He and his instrument were front and center. But over and above the sheer virtuosity was Wallington's profound joy in playing. Across the ten trio tracks on this Savoy CD, Wallington shares that joy with the listener, not only with his playing but with writing that brims over with melody and invention. Best known as the writer of Godchild, immortalized on Miles Davis's Birth of the Cool, on these tracks he contributes eight top-flight originals in a more purely bop vein. Among the standout tracks is the standard "I'll Remember April" done as a rhumba that quickly shifts into a double-time test for bassist Curley Russel and drummer Max Roach. "Fine and Dandy," another standard, is an extraordinary feature for Roach's brushwork, both in his playing behind the pianist and in a short, remarkable solo break. Two sextet tracks from 1949 show a more self-effacing Wallington, as he blends behind horn players Gerry Mulligan, Brew Moore, and Kai Winding on "Igloo" and on his own "Knockout," which has a wonderful scat vocal from Buddy Stewart. It's the trio tracks, though, where Wallington's genius shines, with some of the finest piano that bebop has to offer. ~ Jim Todd, All Music Guide
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