Mel Rhyne, best known for his association in the 1960s with Wes Montgomery, re-emerged with this Criss Cross CD as one of the finest jazz organists around. He is matched with guitarist Peter Bernstein, drummer Kenny Washington, and young tenor great Joshua Redman for a set of good-natured and often hard-swinging performances. In addition to superior versions of “All God’s Chillun Got Rhythm” and “Jeannine,” the quartet explores lesser-known songs such as Hubert Laws’ “Shades of Light,” Stevie Wonder’s “You and I,” and Mel Torme’s “Born to Be Blue.” The music is consistently stimulating and swinging. – Scott Yanow
