Tommy Flanagan Trio - Eclypso (1981 Japanese Enja Vinyl LP)

Vinyl: VG+
Sleeve: VG+ (split on bottom edge)
Obi: VG+

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Tommy Flanagan Trio - Eclypso | Vinyl LP - 1981 Japanese Enja Records Reissue (28MJ 3060, Polydor K.K.)

Flanagan spent the better part of two decades as the first-call accompanist in jazz. He played the piano on John Coltrane's Giant Steps, Sonny Rollins's Saxophone Colossus, Wes Montgomery's The Incredible Jazz Guitar and Art Pepper's Straight Life, and then spent over a decade as Ella Fitzgerald's musical director. By 1977 he had left Fitzgerald's band and was recording under his own name for Enja with increasing frequency. Eclypso is the first of the Enja sessions and one of the best. "Oleo" opens with Rollins's contrafact on "I Got Rhythm" played at a brisk tempo, Flanagan's touch light and precise, Jones driving without overpowering, Mraz's bass filling the middle register with harmonic detail. Denzil Best's "Denzil's Best" follows, then Tadd Dameron's "A Blue Time." Parker's "Relaxin' At Camarillo" closes side A in under five minutes, the kind of tightly constructed reading that shows how much Flanagan can accomplish in a short space. Tom McIntosh's "Cup Bearers" opens side B before the title track.

"Eclypso" is the album's centre of gravity. Flanagan first recorded this composition in 1957 on his debut leader session with Coltrane on tenor, Kenny Burrell on guitar and a full quintet. This trio version strips it back to piano, bass and drums and stretches past 12 minutes. The calypso feel of the original remains, but the extra space allows Flanagan to explore the harmony in ways the quintet arrangement didn't permit. Jones plays brushes through much of the piece before switching to sticks as the intensity builds. Mraz solos with a clarity that reflects his classical training (he studied at the Prague Conservatory before emigrating in 1968). Parker's "Confirmation" closes the album at a fast clip.

This is the 1981 Japanese stereo reissue on Enja 28MJ 3060, manufactured by Polydor K.K.