Alone Together (feat. Marc Copland, Drew Gress & Jochen Rueckert)

Veteran trumpeter Tim Hagans' second CD for the German label Pirouet retains two-thirds of his rhythm section from the first release (pianist Marc Copland and bassist Drew Gress, with the promising German drummer Jochen Rueckert taking over for Bill Stewart. Hagans cedes the writing duties to his pianist, who wrote or co-wrote the first four pieces. Copland's energetic post-bop vehicle "See You Again" and "Sweet Peach Tree" are excellent showcases for the leader's darting trumpet. The moody ballad "Not Even the Rain" is a touching affair, while the mellow "Over and Back" showcases Gress as well. The three standards that close the session are all well known to jazz listeners, though each of them sound fresh in Hagans' capable hands. "You Don't Know What Love Is" has a sense of additional drama, with the trumpeter's unaccompanied improvised introduction, adding Copland as they work gradually work their way around its theme in a haunting manner. "Alone Together" is played in a more straight-ahead manner, though the rhythm section's offbeat accompaniment provides a fresh backdrop as opposed to the usual chord changes. Hagans will inevitably be compared to Miles Davis by using a mute in "Stella by Starlight," though the leader's sound is very much his own. This is easily one of Hagans' best recordings.