Martial Solal - "Four Keys"

I just needed to share my most recent finding.  I was browsing around ebay.com the other day looking at what was available with Lee Konitz on vinyl when I stumbled across the album "Four Keys" which was recorded under the leadership of the French pianist Martial Solal.  I saw that it also featured the likes Lee Konitz, John Scofield, and Niels-Henning Orsted Pedersen.  Now, of course, how could not check it out after seeing that some of my favorite players were on it.  Unfortunately it has never been released in CD or electronic format so I had to do some finagling to find a vinyl rip of it.

After listening through it twice, I'm definitely hooked.  I had never really checked out NHOP before but am blown away by his playing.  This album is interesting because there isn't a drummer and it consists of a possible three chordal instruments (including bass) with saxophone.  But...it's...so...AWESOME!  I dig this instrumentation so much, and it's really nice to hear Scofield without some kind of distortion or effects.  The album starts out with some very straightforward playing over standard changes and gradually bends to more free improvisation that is very much in the style of Lennie Tristano's "Intuition."

So, if you haven't heard this album, I highly recommend checking it out (but it doesn't really matter what I say because nobody reads this blog anyways).