AMG Review of How It Is

Scott Yanow
All Music Guide

David Hazeltine is an example of a creative modern mainstream pianist who often gets overlooked despite being a superior musician. Hazeltine swings, has his own voice within the tradition, and is an excellent songwriter, contributing three of the seven selections to this enjoyable CD. The pianist is teamed with the hard boppish trumpeter Jim Rotondi, altoist Steve Wilson, bassist Peter Washington, and drummer Joe Farnsworth for three of his songs, a drastic rearrangement of an Earth, Wind & Fire song ("Reasons"), Thelonious Monk's "Pannonica," "Where Are You?," and a ten-minute version of "Doxy." The solos are expressive and often fiery, and the playing is at a consistently high level. Easily recommended to modern hard bop collectors.