Holly Hofmann & Bill Cunliffe – Three’s Company – Capri Records 74099-2, 51.4 min. *****:
(Holly Hofmann, flute & alto flute; Bill Cunliff, piano; Regina Carter, violin; Alvester Garnett, drums; Ken Peplowski, clarinet; Terell Stafford, trumpet)
I’ve long been a fan of jazz flute, and there’s not too many of them around. Phil Woods rates Holly Hofmann, along with Hubert Laws, as the top flutists in jazz today. Holly is married to pianist Mike Wofford and often works with him in a quartet setting, they both also tour with an all-star group called Flutology, in which Holly is joined by Frank Wess and Ali Ryerson. She has made several recordings with LA pianist Bill Cunliffe, and this disc is their latest. She also is Music Director of the Newport Jazz Festival in Oregon.
For this CD Hofmann and Cunliffe decided to do something a bit different. They invited some of their favorite musicians in as guests on some of the eight tracks, thus turning their duo into a trio. The gem of these for me is Billy Strayhorn’s “Star-Crossed Lovers,” with absolutely lovely lyrical solos by both Hofmann and violinist Regina Carter. It’s also the longest track on the CD by far. Drummer Garnett joined the two on “Sweet Andy,” and the album’s title tune is a vehicle for trumpeter Terell Stafford, who opens the track with a delightful duet with the flute. Versatile clarinetist Ken Peplowski shows on Reunion that he’s just as capable in modern jazz as the more trad and swing genres.
Seems like including a jazz version of a classical favorite has become a tradition on many jazz albums lately. The Hofmann/Cunliffe duo gives us a very sweetly swinging version of Faure’s famous "Pavane." Half of the eight tunes are by Cunliffe, and Holly herself penned the album’s title tune. The recording site was the historic Nola Studios in New York City. A most enjoyable album and a must-have for fans of jazz flute.
TrackList: Too Late Now, Dalto, Star-Crossed Lovers, Three’s Company, Reunion, Pavane, Sweet Andy, Farewell.
– John Henry
