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Double CD - $30.00; $19.20 when you buy 2 more CDs

JOHN HICKS
Passion Flower

A piano giant of the New York jazz scene for 40 years, John could break your heart with a ballad, sweep you off your feet with an anthem, or boot you into boogeyin’ with one of his cookers. And he had the rare gift of inspiring his sidemen to play beyond themselves. Passion Flower pairs his two trio sessions for Mapleshade — including nine of Hicks’ most enduring compositions, breathtaking Ellington, Gershwin and Strayhorn ballads, and brilliantly swinging versions of Thad Jones, Charlie Mingus, and Wayne Shorter pieces (all of whom Hicks played with). Disc 1 is a lushly romantic trio with sensuous flute and delicately swinging bass. On Disc 2 there’s hard-hitting, polyrythmic drums with driving bass, a subtly arranged string quartet that joins the trio on a few tracks, and unforgettable solo tracks by Hicks. “One of Hicks’ finest recordings,” is the Washington Post’s judgment. The sound is the best of any Hicks on record; Stereophile raves “...as natural and true to life as can be.” (#12832)

IF YOU ENJOY PASSION FLOWER, BE SURE TO CHECK OUT:

TRACK LISTING:

Disc One:

1. Sometime Ago - Listen to Full Song

2. Ingant Eyes - Listen to Sample

3. Yes Or No - Listen to Sample

4. Ballad Of A Black Man

5. Ghosts Of Yesterday

6. Portraits

7. Topaz

8. A Child Is Born

9. Single Petal Of A Rose

10. Embraceable You

11. Virgo

Disc Two :

1. Heart To Heart - Listen to Full Song

2. Minor Collaboration - Listen to Sample

3. Peace For E.H.

4. Two Heart Beats

5. The Wandering Soul

6. Naima's Love Song- Listen to Sample

7. Passion Flower

8. After The Dawn

9. West Side Winds

10. No More Re grets

LABEL:
Mapleshade Jazz

MUSICIANS:
Disc One:
John Hicks, piano
Elise Wood, flute
Walter Booker, bass
Jack Walrath, trumpet

Disc Two:
John Hicks, piano
Elise Wood, alto flute
Steve Novosel, bass
Ronnie Burrage, drums
Steve Williams, drums*
Rick Schmidt, cello
Debbie Baker, viola
Charles Olive, violin
Tom Ginsberg, violin

PRODUCTIONS NOTES:
Disc One:
Produced by John Hicks, Elise Wood and Pierre Sprey
Engineered by Pierre Sprey
Recorded at Mapleshade Studio, June 1992
Mastered by Bob Katz, Digital Domain (NYC)

Disc Two:
Produced by Larry Willis
Engineered by Pierre Sprey
Recorded at Mapleshade Studio, Sept. 23-24 and 27, 1997
Mastered by Paul Story, Solo Studio (Fairfax,VA)

REVIEWS:

Coming Soon.