I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Under The Covers, by The Steve Luciano Quartet and it's really cool. Opening with Duke Pearson's Chant, Steve Luciano shows immediately where he's coming from. With clear, concise, improvisational phrasing he sets the tempo backed by Mike Avila on piano, Charlie Siva on bass, Walt Hubbard on drums and Dan Jordan on sax who also blows the roof off of this track with a terrific solo. Excellent opener. Wayne Shorter's Hammer Head is a great addition to this set with, the melody carried by Jordan and Luciano. I really like Luciano's groove line with excellent fluidity and impeccable style. Siva on bass and Hubbard on drums anchor this track to the floor and Jordan's solo really is tasty. Avila rides the wave with a really nice solo of his own adding to the overall polish of this strong track. Following Tal Farlow's arrangement of Rogers and Hart, Everything I've Got, Luciano really shows his fleet fingered approach to this classic. Siva's driving bass line maintains the continuity as Avila again works the keys into a frenzy. Very nice. One of my favorite modern jazz players, Pat Martino wrote the next track, On The Stairs, and Luciano really gives it a workout. Fluidity, style and phrasing is the name of the game and Luciano has it in spades. Another solid piano entry by Avila and thunderous bass by Siva leads to an adventurous sax solo by Jordan and a snappy drum solo by Hubbard. Excellent! Wrapping the release is David Raksin's The Bad and the Beautiful. This is a really nice opportunity for Luciano to roll out his most lush chords. A beautiful melody, smartly articulated and warmly presented, a warm closer for a terrific release.
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