Ernie Watts on tenor saxophone, Christof Sanger on piano, Rudi Engel on bass, and Heinrich Kobberling on drums. CD

Ernie Watts on tenor saxophone, Christof Sanger on piano, Rudi Engel on bass, and Heinrich Kobberling on drums. CD

Beautiful work from pianist Tete Montoliu – three full albums served up in a single package! First up is Man From Barcelona – a set cut late in Tete's career, but one that has this beautiful way of building up a tune – maybe even more lyrical and sincere than some of Montoliu's earlier music! The trio features nicely understated work from George Mraz on bass and Lewis Nash on drums – both players who often step aside and let Tete pace the tune, find his groove, and bring in all sorts of really lovely colors even before things start swinging – served up on tunes that include "Tune Up", "Stella By Starlight", "Autumn Leaves", "Django", and "Concierto De Aranjuez". On Secret Love, pianist Tete Montoliu gets some Cedar Walton backing – in a trio with Sam Jones on bass and Billy Higgins on drums – both musicians who really make the record stand out from the pack! Tete himself is at the peak of his powers – able to play with this commanding sense of majesty from the very first note – but with a style that also has plenty of room for more lyrical flourishes, too – although often with these soulful strides that we don't seem to hear that well in other trio sessions of this vintage! We're not going to credit Jones and Higgins with bringing this on – but heck, they sound wonderful here, and really make the whole thing crackle with warm imagination throughout. Titles include "Four", "Stella By Starlight", "Secret Love", and "Confirmation". The title's correct on the third album – as that's yellow dolphin street, not "Green Dolphin Street" – a very special place where Tete Montoliu unfurls a beautiful selection of solo piano numbers! Tete's really at the height of his powers here – and spins out wonderfully without any bass or drums, yet with all the complex, fluid feel that you might expect from a trio. The range of tonal colors is wonderful – and always delivered with a rhythmic impulse, even when Montoliu is flying free – on titles that include "Yellow Dolphin Street", "Napoleon", "Where Are You", "Waltz For Nicolien", and "I Hate You". CD

Overlooked later genius from Gato Barbieri – a trio of albums served up in one nicely priced package! Gato Para Los Amigos is some of Barbieri's best work of the 80s – an excellent live set from 1981 that's kind of a return to the drawn-out intensity of his years at Impulse! The group's got a good mixture of percussion, keyboards, and guitar – and the tracks on the set are mostly Latin-tinged numbers that offer a perfect foil for Gato's soulful and exploratory blowing – those haunting long lines we first fell in love with on his records for Impulse and Flying Dutchman! Titles include "Bolivia", "Carnavalito", "Brazil", "Viva Emiliano Zapata", and "Latino America". Que Pasa is a surprisingly nice late 90s effort from Gato Barbieri – at the time, his first new album in over a decade – and a set put together with a nicely contemporary feel with help from keyboardist Philippe Saisse! Saisse produced the set, and he really gives the record some of the warmly soulful moments of his own great music – an approach that's somewhat deeper than smooth jazz, and which makes more than enough space for Gato's well-blown saxophone solos. There's a bit of backing vocals on the set, and the approach here is definitely soul-based – but it's got a solid bottom that hearkens back to some of Gato's best R&B-inspired work of the 70s. Titles include "Mystica", "Dancing With Dolphins", "Straight Into The Sunrise", "Indonesia", "The Woman I Remember", and "Cause We've Ended As Lovers". Che Corazon is one of Gato Barbieri's most ambitious albums – a record that mixes core jazzy grooving with some larger orchestral parts – but all at a level that still moves along nicely! Sweet keyboards glide alongside Gato's reed lines – which come out strongly in the lead, with that sharp-cutting sense of soul that we've always loved so much. The overall sound is smoother than the early days, but no less soulful – and titles include a great remake of Marvin Gaye's "I Want You", plus "Eclipse", "The Woman On The Lake", "1812", "Encounter", and "Sweet Glenda". CD