Zodiac Suite: Revisited

They Say...

Review by Jonathan Widran, All Music Guide

Knowing the history of groundbreaking jazz pianist Mary Lou Williams' legendary Suite (penned at various times throughout the 1940s) isn't essential to enjoying this new rendering by this quartet led by contemporary piano master Geri Allen (the group also features bassist Buster Williams, a frequent colleague of Williams, who died in 1981). But as chronicled in the fascinating liner notes, the back-story adds texture and perspective to an intriguing series of interpretations of each sign of the zodiac. Williams launched the endeavor with a moody, melancholy play on her own sign, "Taurus," in 1944, followed by the thoughtful and graceful solo piece "Libra," which she dedicated to Dizzy Gillespie, Bud Powell, and Thelonious Monk. Allen expertly conveys the joyful side of the zodiac via playful swing and spirited improvisations on the opening piece "Aries" and "Gemini," one of the most hypnotic and engaging. Individual numbers of the 12-piece "Suite" can be enjoyed as reflections of the development without knowing their astrological reference, but part of the charm is wondering how and why Williams processed certain signs in the unique ways she did. Following the titular suite, Allen and company engage in three epilogue pieces -- Herbie Nichols' seductive "The BeBop Waltz," a frenetic "Intermission," and Allen's own expansive tribute to Williams, "Thank You Madam," which plays like a free-form love letter -- with a nod to the grand impressionism of Allen's chief influence, Herbie Hancock.