Frank Kimbrough has been a valuable pianist based in the New York area ever since the early ’80s. On this CD he is teamed with bassist Ben Allison (who along with Kimbrough co-founded the Jazz Composers Collective and the Herbie Nichols Project) and drummer Matt Wilson. They perform six of the pianist’s originals plus “You Only Live Twice” from a James Bond movie and Allison’s “Ben’s Tune.” The music is unpredictable post-bop jazz and it includes “Centering” (which is influenced a little by Thelonious Monk), a piece dedicated to Andrew Hill (“Ode”), the well-titled “Whirl,” and “Ghost Dance,” which is inspired by the unusual avant-garde music of Annette Peacock. The music on Lullabluebye often sounds simpler than it is, setting impressionistic and sometimes introspective moods and swinging in its own fashion without being overly tied to earlier jazz styles. The three musicians often play as one, although Kimbrough is clearly the leader; it is just that he seems open to the musical suggestions of Allison and Wilson. This is an excellent program of modern jazz that grows in interest with each listen due to its subtlety and quiet surprises. – Scott Yanow
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