Lucky in Paris
Tenor saxophonist Lucky Thompson might always seem an enigma in the jazz tradition. He came up playing in a pair of promising settings, specificallyCharlie Parker's West Coast touring unit and theCount Basieband in the 1940s. Although Thompson recorded throughout the 1950s and 1960s (before slipping quietly into retirement in the early 1970s), he seldom reached the high spots of this 1959 session--which was released originally under drummer Gerard Pochonet's name. Thompson excels here in large part thanks to Algiers-born pianistMartial Solal, whose underaccorded spareness is a paragon of economy and balance. This whole session exudes an ease of communication that speaks to how well players understood Thompson and how well he could converse with an array of talents. He snakes around Solal's weird chord voicings in breathy, curling phrases that shine especially keenly when vibist Michel Hauser is playing. But Thompson makes two exceptional showings with percussionist Gana M'Bow, where he fits his reedy nuggets into the niches between hard-slapped hand drumming.--Andrew Bartlett