pjw, I think Tommy Flanagan was a great player and I love his playing. There is a certain elegance to his playing and a relaxed time feel. Even the tone he gets has an elegant quality to it; not very percussive.
https://youtu.be/ONpG6dtiqzEI really enjoyed that Kenny Dorham clip. Had not heard that before. Thanks!
My take on Flanagan on that recording is that he sounds very good. He’s a great player and he sounds particularly good on the introduction with its loose feel. He seems comfortable with the tune and its comfortable harmonic progression. He sounds a little subdued in attitude compared to Al Heath’s fiery playing and Henderson’s amazing solo. I found it very interesting how the vibe of the tune changed dramatically at the point that he soloed. They dropped the intensity pretty dramatically. Almost as if the band was accommodating him and the way he likes to play. Nice contrast even if at times I wished he were a little more rhythmic and incisive with his comping behind the soloists.
Here he is as sideman with Thad Jones, one of my very favorite Jazz composers and great trumpet player, on a favorite record. IMO, this is the kind of music and setting that Flanagan sounds best in; relaxed and swinging. Check out Billy Mitchell’s tenor on this. Talk about underrated players! Also, one of Schubert’s favorite drummers and the great Kenny Burrell.
https://youtu.be/dKQaV22GZhgIt should be noted that 23 years after recording Giant Steps with Coltrane and being caught off guard by the complexity of the tune, he recorded the tune on one of his solo records, It is obvious that he worked on the tune over the years. I like his rendition and he navigates the brutally difficult harmonic changes very well, but still without the fire that Coltrane brought to the tune.
https://youtu.be/wkXerGtKtKM
