'Bish at the Bank' by Walter Bishop Jr.
Walter Bishop Jr. (1927-1998) remains an overlooked bebop pianist who survived long after bop. Early on, he recorded with Art Blakey and Miles Davis, but by the time of these live sessions in 1966, he’d migrated alongside the music’s soulful direction. Recorded in Baltimore clubs with audiences audible in their approval, Bishop played with a tight combo whose groove always swung, even when saxophonist Harold Vick blurred the melodic edge or drummer Dick Berk kicked sideways at the rhythm. Their 12-minute “Blues,” an improvised jam with a sinuous urban vibe, could have easily been covered by Booker T and the MGs. Henry Mancini’s “Days of Wine and Roses,” a pervasive melody in the ‘60s, swings with confidence. Vick moved over to flute as they executed Antonio Carlos Jobim’s “Quiet Nights” with cool aplomb.
