The Village Voice
March 20, 2007

Consumer Guide

Omer Avital
The Ancient Art of Giving
Smalls

The second installment in Avital's archives, Room to Grow, started to make the case for the Israeli bassist as a catalyst for cutting-edge post-bop in the late '90s, but this is the album where the payoff becomes clear. His quintet is structured for hard bop, but he lets the rhythm slosh around, and once they get warmed up, Mark Turner's tenor sax and Avishai Cohen's trumpet break loose. A MINUS

Frank Hewitt
Fresh from the Cooler [1996]
Smalls

A bebop pianist who almost slipped through 66 years of life without leaving a trace, Hewitt built enough of a cult during his Smalls residency to inspire a label in no small part dedicated to his legacy. His fourth posthumous release features a trio that steps gingerly around jazz standards such as "Cherokee" and "Monk's Mood"—nothing fancy, just a rare touch of melodic nuance. A MINUS