Keyed In

It seemed pretty odd in 1979 when the adventurous pianist Joanne Brackeen was signed to Bob James' Tappan Zee label, but fortunately Brackeen was not pressured to perform commercial music. In fact, her two releases for the label (this date would be followed by Ancient Dynasty) are in a similar style as earlier work for smaller labels. Teamed up with bassist Eddie Gomez and drummer Jack DeJohnette, Brackeen sounds quite distinctive on seven of her originals, hinting a little at McCoy Tyner but coming up with fresh and advanced improvisations. This rewarding LP (not yet reissued on CD) will most likely be difficult to locate.