Jay Leonhart revives the piano-guitar-bass trio originally brought to you with splendor by such leaders as Nat Cole and Oscar Peterson. Pianist Ted Rosenthal and guitarist Joe Cohn complete the trio in fine fashion. Leonhart, who usually sticks to his own well-written material, chooses a menu mostly made up of standards by the likes of Harold Arlen, Jerome Kern, George Gershwin, Fats Waller and Duke Ellington. Guitarist Joe Cohn introduces the trio to three tunes written by his father, the late saxophone ace, Al Cohn. "Take Four," "You And Me" and "Two Funky People" are all swinging vehicles for the trio. Leonhart adds a vocal refrain on the title tune, Leonhard Berstein's "Cool" and provides his own lyric to a Tommy Flanagan composition, "My Bluebird." Finally there's Leonhart's "For Real," a song about romance in bloom and "Bop Kick," a vigorous Nat Cole line. This is the initial recording effort for this trio, and the enthusiasm and musicality displayed here is most welcome indeed.

— George Fendel
© Jazzscene, January 2005