Search - Hal Gaylor, Walter Norris, Billy Bean :: Trio

Unbelievably obscure

Jeffrey M. Bailey | Richmond, Virginia United States | 10/02/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is one of my top 5 jazz CDs. I can't believe it is out-of-print. I have alot of jazz piano trio recordings, and the usual favorites (Oscar Peterson, Bill Evans, etc.), but I'm amazed that Walter Norris, and this performance in particular, isn't as well known. His invention matches the other two, and his technique approaches OP's. I downloaded this on a whim, having seen guitarist Billy Bean's name in an article (and being a guitarist myself), and was stunned at his tone, phrasing, note selection, and technique as well. In fact, the low-key member of the group (though no less talented) is the leader Hal Gaylor, whose bass solos are reminiscent of Ray Brown or Sam Jones. It's hard even to find information on these gentlemen, much less the recordings (I understand that Billy Bean retired from the music scene soon after these sessions). Grab this while you can - thankfully, Amazon has this as a downloadable CD. High praise to Amazon for making this available!"