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I’m All Smiles

George Cables (piano), Essiet Essiet (bass), Victor Lewis (drums)

Compare the interpretation of Wayne Shorter’s ‘Speak No Evil’ which the pianist develops lucidly, in full sympathy with the idiom. ‘Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing’ is another very tricky song...

I’m All Smiles

George Cables (piano), Essiet Essiet (bass), Victor Lewis (drums)

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This release includes a digital booklet

Compare the interpretation of Wayne Shorter’s ‘Speak No Evil’ which the pianist develops lucidly, in full sympathy with the idiom. ‘Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing’ is another very tricky song...

About

Trio album from George Cables, who has been the pianist of choice for saxophonists Dexter Gordon and Art Pepper; Pepper called him his favourite pianist. Cables also recorded a lot with jazz stars Joe Henderson,

Freddie Hubbard, Bobby Hutcherson and Frank Morgan. On ‘I’m All Smiles’, he is so fluent in the ways of the keyboard, song structure and harmony, so aware of his available options at every second, the compositions themselves seem as if they are being made up on the spot.

But not all of the trio’s decisions are made in the moment. As a structural feature, he loves yoking together his left hand and Essiet Essiet’s bass, to give the music an extra-fortified low end. They play in tight unison so often, those doubled bass lines have become the trio’s signature. Fused piano and bass have such a distinct colour, when they merge it’s almost like another instrument making an appearance. The trio polishes its music to a high gloss, which is so unassumingly good, you could miss just how good it is. It gives good taste a good name.

Contents and tracklist

Awards and reviews

August 2019

Compare the interpretation of Wayne Shorter’s ‘Speak No Evil’ which the pianist develops lucidly, in full sympathy with the idiom. ‘Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing’ is another very tricky song – which explains why it’s not become a standard – but Cables’ gentle ballad tempo allows him to nudge it beautifully. There are fine interpretations also of Monk’s ‘Ugly Beauty’ – a Romantic, unMonkian account in 6/8 – Jaco Pastorius’ ‘Three Views of a Secret’ and Freddie Hubbard’s ‘Th ermo’.
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