“PLAY OF LIGHT.” Tom Harrell. Black Hawk...

“PLAY OF LIGHT.” Tom Harrell. Black Hawk 50901. Phil Woods is quoted in the album notes: “Harrell is the best musician I’ve ever encountered in 40 years of playing music.” Strong words, hard to live up to, but Harrell’s trumpet displays a rare sense of form, a fine-tuned harmonic ear, and his compositions set off these qualities to full advantage. He is also in the company of the muscular Ricky Ford on tenor, Bruce Forman on guitar and the late Al Dailey on piano (this was recorded 4 1/2 years ago and inexplicably never before released). 4 stars.