Pitapat

AMG Review of Pitapat

Scott Yanow
All Music Guide

Royce Campbell, has an appealing bop-based style, a cool tone, and many attractive chord voicings; he teams up with bassist Ray Drummond and drummer Akira Tana on this CD for eight veteran warhorses and three basic originals. The emphasis is on slower tempos (although there are a few faster numbers), and Campbell gives the impression that he would sound relaxed and thoughtful no matter what the speed of the interpretation. No real surprises occur, but the guitarist (who had previously recorded nine other albums as a leader) displays his own sound and approach in what could be considered the Barney Kessel/Herb Ellis/Jimmy Raney tradition. Highlights include "A Sharp Blues," "You Stepped Out of a Dream," "It Could Happen to You" and "Pitapat." Pleasing music.