Dick Conte Quartet - Live at 2001 San Jose Jazz Festival

Dick Conte Quartet

Live @ 2001 San Jose Jazz Festival

DCJAZZ 21

Dick Conte, piano; Steve Heckman, tenor/soprano sax; Steve Webber, bass; Bill Moody, drums.

This is a live recording taken at the San Jose Jazz Festival, where the quartet played, without rehearsal, a mixture of home-spun and standard pieces. The group blends well together, giving good inventive improvisation. Conte likes fine melodic openings to his pieces; "Summertime" has just such a tuneful start before the tenor of Steve Heckman takes it up. "Yesterdays" is a good track; but I thought the best of the eight tracks was Conte's own "The Breeze". Heckman has a distinctive playing style, whether he is playing soprano or tenor sax; it is robust, earthy, always driving forward. Bassist Webber can smoke a solo when required and Bill Moody on drums never fails to pick up on what ever is going to happen next. Conte plays thoughtful, melodically pleasing piano throughout. There is nothing particularly outstanding about the set; but it is good quartet Jazz.

by Ferdinand Maylin

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