Truth

Personnel: Duke Jordan (piano); Mads Vinding (bass); Ed Thigpen (drums).
This 1975 session features Duke Jordan with fellow expatriate Ed Thigpen on drums and bassist Mads Vinding. The pianist began a long working relationship with Steeplechase in the early '70s that produced a number of recordings by the end of the decade. The trio works well together playing play Jordan's compositions, most of which were likely new, though there are no liner notes to provide background on the music. Although the eight originals performed on this session (with two alternate takes added for the CD reissue) never became very well known as his hit "Jordu," there are a number of enjoyable tunes, including the soft ballad "32nd Street Love," the swaggering bop vehicle "Truth," and "Hymn to Peace," which begins in a meditative mood before switching gears to a breezy setting with Vinding's tasty solo. ~ Ken Dryden