Sea Changes
Detroit-born pianist Tommy Flanagan worked in many bebop groups in the '40s and '50s. An accompanist for Tony Bennett and Ella Fitzgerald in the '60s, Flanagan also recorded with Coleman Hawkins, John Coltrane, Kenny Dorham, and Dizzy Gillespie. Along with Ellis Larkins and Hank Jones, Flanagan is one of jazz's most elegantly expressive stylists. The track "Dear Old Stockholm" from this CD was nominated for a 1998 Grammy Award for Best Jazz Instrumental Solo. Flanagan is supported here by his usual collaborators, Peter Washington on bass and Lewis Nash on drums.--Stanley Booth