Jeux De Quartes

Resenha do Álbum

Belgian jazz artist Bobby Jaspar died far too young at age 37 in 1963, but fortunately made a handful of memorable dates as a leader. His last studio session under his name, previously reissued on Verve as Phenil Isopropil Amine, has been renamed Jeux de Quartes for its 2002 edition in the label's Jazz in Paris series. Jaspar sticks exclusively to flute on these December 1958 studio recordings (his last as a leader, except for several live dates that have appeared on Fresh Sound and Mole Jazz). He's joined by drummer Kenny Clarke, Sadi Lallemand or Michel Hausser (who also doubles on xylophone) on vibes, and either Paul Rovere or Jymie Merritt on bass, as well as percussionist Humberto Canto (on one of the two sessions). Jaspar's soft arrangements prove very appealing for his originals, standards such as "Lullaby of the Leaves" and "There Will Never Be Another You," and classic jazz tunes (an exotic "Misterioso" and a Latin-flavored "Chasin' the Bird," the latter featuring Hausser on xylophone). This 2002 reissue also corrects several of the misspellings of song titles and names present on the earlier CD. This is easily one of Jaspar's finest recordings as a leader.

© Ken Dryden /TiVo