The CD notes tell us that Dick Hyman made partial arrangements of these pieces, setting up a platform for improvisation. When clarinetist Ken Peplowski arrived for the recording session, he had not yet seen the arrangements, which helped to encourage spontaneity. I think I can detect the places where the music is pre-arranged, but such detection does not touch upon the essence of these performances.
After listening to the first few tracks, I was struck by something different taking place. Thinking about it, I wondered how it compared with a CD Hyman made with another treble instrumentalist—cornetist Rudy Braff—in 1991 (Younger Than Swingtime: Music from South Pacific, Concord Jazz, CCD-4445).
Listening to the older recording again after many years brought back the realization of how terrific that CD is; it also confirmed my impression about the later one. In the Braff recording, we hear a standard approach: during cornet solos, the piano provides accompaniments (in Hyman’s hands, extraordinarily imaginative accompaniments); during piano solo sections, the cornet punctuates occasionally with appropriate comments. Given the musicians involved, it’s no surprise that this standard approach provided a platform for outstanding performances. As for the difference between the two CDs, that is highlighted by the newer CD’s title: Counterpoint.
Hyman has issued many recordin
