John Dennis with Charles Mingus & Max Roach - New Piano Expressions (1955) {Debut OJCCD-1843-2 rel 1994}

One of the few albums as a leader cut by pianist John Dennis – noteworthy not only for his own great work on the keys, but also for the presence of Charles Mingus and Max Roach in his trio! Their presence is a bit less surprising when you realize that the album was issued on the pair's Debut label, as part of its strong commitment to finding the best young jazz talent of the 50s – but it's still noteworthy nonetheless, as 1955 is a relatively late date for either player to be working as a sideman, especially in a trio record!

That fact should be endorsement enough for Dennis' talents, but if it's not, one listen of the album will certainly win you over – as John plays with a style that's as fluid as some of the mainstream pianists of his generation, but which also has the odd turns of phrase and angular moments you'd here in some of the more inventive modernists. The blend is a great one – a bit subtle at first, but extremely compelling as the set goes on – and titles include "Seven Moons", "Ensenada", "Machajo", "Cherokee", "Odyssey", "Chartreuse", and "Variegations" – as well as a few alternate takes.

Musicians
Piano John Dennis
Bass Charles Mingus
Drums Max Roach

Tracks
01 Ensenada 05:31
02 Machajo 04:07
03 Cherokee 04:22
04 Seven Moons 04:07
05 Seven Moons (alt tk) 04:23
06 All The Things You Are (tk 1) 05:32
07 All The Things You Are (tk 2) 04:17
08 Cherokee (alt tk) 05:15
09 Odyssey 04:20
10 Chartreuse 03:56
11 Variegations 06:36
12 Someone To Watch Over Me 03:42