JOE CARTWRIGHT
Soul Eyes
Lafayette Music
 
By Tom Ineck
 
"Soul Eyes" is the definitive recording for which longtime Joe Cartwright fans have been waiting, a live trio project that exemplifies the Kansas City pianist's power and virtuosity in extended performances over a range of material.
 
It is hard to imagine a threesome more compatible than this one, as Cartwright is joined by KC stalwarts Bob Bowman on bass and Todd Strait on drums. Bowman's fleet fingers, adventurous solo excursions and innate sense of time are perfectly matched to Strait's percussive genius and sensitivity. Of course, it is Cartwright's playing that shines most brightly. Lush arpeggios, crisp, clean single-note lines (at any tempo), soulful blues inflections and stunning dynamics are just a few of his trademark qualities.
 
The Topeka Performing Arts Center is the setting for three tunes, including Henry Mancini's classic "Dreamsville," Cedar Walton's keyboard workout "Ojos de Rojo" and Bowman's lively "Hebgan Happy Hour." The Oak Bar of the Fairmont Kansas City hotel is the scene for Pat Metheny"s lovely "Always and Forever," Gershwin's "Love Walked In" and Wayne Shorter's "Fall," and Kansas Public Radio captured the trio's rendition of the title track by Mal Waldron.
 
"Ojo de Rojo" is a case in point, with Cartwright building the intensity before handing it off to Bowman for an inspired solo. Strait then makes an inventive solo statement on cymbals and toms. In like manner, Bowman begins the 15-minute "Love Walked In" with a bluesy bass blast, setting the stage for a lengthy and soulful exploration by Cartwright, followed by briefer, but equally splendid bass and drum solos.
 
The three ballad selections, "Dreamsville," "Always and Forever" and "Soul Eyes," capture the trio in its most sensitive interplay. Metheny's gentle tune is especially affecting in its honest, unabashed romanticism.  Bowman and Strait show admirable restraint on the title track, clearly a showcase for Cartwright's astonishing keyboard prowess.
 
Recorded at three different venues last March, the sound throughout is well engineered and amazingly unified. With just seven tracks totaling more than 70 minutes, "Soul Eyes" is a generous package perfect for the gift-giving season. To order the CD, visit Joe Cartwright's website at http://www.joe-cartwright.com/.