Stardust is another satisfying record from
Ron Carter, this one in part a tribute to the late
Oscar Pettiford. Leading a quintet with
Benny Golson on tenor,
Joe Locke on vibes,
Sir Roland Hanna on piano, and
Lenny White on drums,
Carter picks three choice tunes by
Pettiford -- the swing-to-tango "Tamalpais," the minor-key bop classic "Bohemia After Dark," and the masterfully simple "Blues in the Closet."
Carter's originals, also numbering three, include the slow 14-bar blues "Nearly," the mid-tempo swinger "Tail Feathers," and "That's Deep," which is
Carter's answer to the question, "How Deep Is the Ocean?"
Locke sits out on a fairly upbeat rendition of "The Man I Love";
Carter and
Hanna close with a duet on "Stardust," with
Carter taking the melody.
Golson and
Hanna are in particularly good form, their richly seasoned sounds meshing well with the élan of the younger
Locke. ~ David R. Adler, Rovi