AMG Review of Looking for the Light

Scott Yanow
All Music Guide

George Cables has long been one of the top modern mainstream pianists, developing his own voice in the straight-ahead jazz tradition. On this CD he performs eight of his originals, Erik Satie's haunting "Gymnopedie," and a trio ballad version of "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow." Other than the latter and a solo piano piece ("Helen's Mothers Song"), all of the selections are performed by Cables in a quartet. Gary Bartz is an asset, splitting his time evenly between alto and soprano. The music is both thoughtful and swinging with the attractive jazz tango "Senorita de Aranjuez," "Alice Brown" (which sounds as if it could have been written by Horace Silver), and the attractive bop piece "Tasshi's Night Out" being highlights. Recommended.