Floating Jazz Festival Trio - Floating Jazz Festival Trio 1997

When Junior Mance formed an acoustic piano trio with bassist Keter Betts and drummer Jackie Williams in April 1994, it was obvious that the three jazzmen had a strong chemistry. That group, which came to be called the Floating Jazz Festival Trio, recorded several solid CDs for Chiaroscuro in the '90s; this CD documents some of the trio's live performances aboard the SS Norway (a Caribbean cruise ship) in November 1997. Occasionally, Mance's cohesive trio becomes a quartet. That happens when the big-toned saxophonist Red Holloway has a very pleasing spot on "What's New"; ballads have long been one of Holloway's strong points, and his alto solo is predictably soulful. Read More