Harold Mabern - Don’t Know Why '2003 [2018]

Tracks list

	Jazz pianist Harold Mabern was born in Memphis, Tennessee in 1936 and spent some
of his early years in Chicago before moving to New York in the early 1960s.
There he began to work with Lionel Hampton, Art Farmer's Jazztet and J.J.
Johnson. Mabern has accompanied many vocalists including Joe Williams, Sarah
Vaughan, Dakota Staton, Irene Reid and Arthur Prysock. He's also worked with
Roland Kirk, Sonny Rollins, Freddie Hubbard, Lee Morgan, Roy Haynes, Wes
Montgomery, Clark Terry, Billy Harper, Joe Newman and George Coleman.

"It's difficult not to break into a smile when hearing Harold Mabern play piano,
as the hard bop stylist has a knack for giving his all as if he were
entertaining an audience, even during a studio date. This trio meeting with
bassist Nat Reeves and drummer Joe Farnsworth finds Mabern covering a lot of
styles, including a few surprising choices. He takes Peter Brown's disco hit
'Dance with Me' into new ground with a brisk arrangement incorporating funk,
Latin, and driving post-bop.

"Jesse Harris' soft ballad 'Don't Know Why' was a huge hit for singer/pianist
Norah Jones on her platinum-selling CD Come Away with Me, though Mabern infuses
it with a brighter tempo and a bit of country flavor, plus just a hint of
gospel. For most jazz musicians, it's hard to avoid a modal approach to 'My
Favorite Things' since John Coltrane reworked it into that setting; Mabern
follows that path but does his best to avoid outright cloning of McCoy Tyner's
technique in Coltrane's historic recording, though total avoidance is
impossible. The pianist's potent originals include the hard-driving,
gospel-flavored 'Edward Lee' and the tense, infectious 'Nightlife in Tokyo.'
Reeves and Farnsworth excel in their support of Mabern, though the hard-charging
pianist is practically a one-man band with his boundless energy." — AllMusic

Tracks:

01. Edward Lee 《 H. Mabern 》
02. Dance With Me 《 P. Brown- R. Dans 》
03. My Favorite Things 《 R. Rodgers 》
04. Don't Know Why 《 J. Harris 
05. Dreamy 《 E. Garner 
06. Cabu 《 R. Alexander 》
07. The Surrey With The Fringe On Top 《 R. Rodgers 》
08. Nightlife In Tokyo 《 H. Mabern 》
09. Blues For David 《 B. Montgomery 》
10. My Shining Hour 《 H. Arlen 》

Personnel:

Harold Mabern - piano
Nat Reeves - bass
Joe Farnsworth - drums







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