From The Soul

This was the first recording on my Blue Note contract with an incredible group.

Michel Petrucianni was real virtuoso and a total natural. We met on my first European tour with Paul Motian, in 1981, when he Michel was playing with Charlies Lloyd. We play together at different times throughout the 80s, which led to this session.

I’d played a little with Dave, in a trio with Karl Berger, and he was really my first choice for the date. Blackwell and I were working together a lot during this period.

The repetoire is mixed, standards, a Coltrane classic, and my own tunes, with one of Judi’s, Left Behind, written for my dad, who had just passed. Evolution comes from the way the music evolves when we improvise, exporing different harmonics, which was an evolution for me.

There was an amazing rapport at this session and the music reflects it.