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The tinkling piano of Peter Nero – heard to great effect on these two 60s albums for RCA! On Impressions, the sweet piano of Peter Nero takes on the music of Burt Bacharach – all with results that are every bit as groovy as you might expect! There's a bit more punch to the record than some of Nero's other 60s outings – possibly from the arrangement help from Frank Hunter, but maybe just from the original tunes themselves – which seem to allow for a syncopated punch that really brings out some of Peter's boldest work on piano. The whole thing's great – an overlooked 60s easy gem – and titles include "Wives & Lovers," "Walk On By," "Who Is Gonna Love Me," "Alfie," "This Guy's In Love With You," and "Look of Love." Love Is Blue really soars with great arrangements from Frank Hunter – an artist who often knows how to bring in a subtle soulful feel to the music – an aspect that really helps Peter Nero mature a bit on records like these, and come across with a really groovy sound! The tracks are mostly late 60s numbers – and titles include "Love Is Blue", "The Happy Time", "Sunny", "Windy", "The Glory Of Love", "Theme From The Fox", and "I Say A Little Prayer".

A frenetic stormer from the group of pianist Marc Riordan – a tight combo who work here with a great old school approach to modern jazz! There's a strong sense of unity to the group – a really well-conceived vision built around Riordan's wonderful piano lines – angular, well-stated, and with this mix of unusual notes that really recalls Herbie Nichols or Elmo Hope! Marc's got a way of playing that's incredibly inventive, yet somehow always "right" too – notes that shouldn't work together so way, especially as each new one is introduced – but which resonate together beautifully in a cohesively soulful sound. Other group members are equally strong – and include Peter Hanson on alto, Daniel Thatcher on bass, and Tim Daisy on drums – on titles that include "Little Dog", "Funometer", "Lesson Learned", "Binoculars", and "I'll Text You" – plus a version of Monk's "A Merrier Christmas".