Search - Dick Hyman :: Live at Toronto's Cafe Des Copians

Tasteful but never tepid

J. Geddes | Ottawa | 08/06/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"It must have been a perfect night for those lucky patrons gently clinking their cutlery in the background. From the silky What Is This Thing Called Love? to the soulful I'm Just Wild About Harry, Hyman approaches every song as an individual. No two get the same treatment. On Just You, Just Me, which must be a favorite of his, Hyman is more reflective, and less jaunty, than I've heard him on other recordings. His St. Louis Blues is propulsive without being aggressive-a tough balanced to strike. And a couple of Hyman originals, Carousel Memories and Shadowland (which k.d.lang sang well as the title track of her best album), stand up well in some pretty daunting company (Blue Skies and They Can't Take That Away From me, to name two), reminding us that he can not only play 'em, he can write 'em too."