Having followed Junior Mance over the past forty years, I am on solid ground when I state that he gets better as he gets older.  Inducted into the International Jazz Hall of Fame in November 1997, he has never sounded more exciting than the recent Friday night at New York’s Cafe Loup.

A teacher at the New School in New York and a composer, Mance has played with jazz greats Lester Young, Coleman Hawkins and Dizzy Gillespie, and with equally famous singers such as Dinah Washington and Joe Williams.

At the keyboard, Mance is a demonstration of what a jazz pianist should be. He infuses classics like "Georgia On My Mind," "Do Nothin' 'Til You Hear From Me" and "Blue Monk" with fresh ideas; ballads like "Falling in Love With Love" are transformed into imaginative chords and runs within the melodic line. His astonishing technique is not used as spectacle but as an integral part of interpreting the music. One understands that this is one of the premier jazz musicians of our time. When he plays, he commands attention. The bassist, Hide Tanaka, demonstrated his own skill throughout, playing a lovely solo on "Falling In Love." The evening was a course in what a piano-bass duet should strive for.

The duo play every Friday, Saturday and Sunday evening at Cafe Loup, 105 West 13th Street.

Seymour Spilka
Cabaret Scenes
July 25, 2008
www.cabaretscenes.org