by Wade Kergan
Originally released in Japan on producer Yasohachi Itoh's 88 label, Columbia has licensed several titles from the audiophile label, including this one from veteran hard bop/new thing drummer Roy Haynes. Love Letters gathers an all-star roster, including pianists Kenny Barron and David Kikoski, bassists Dave Holland and Christian McBride, tenor player Joshua Redman, and guitarist John Scofield for a thoroughly solid set of standards. Even as he approaches his eighth decade, Haynes continues to display the drive that has made him an in-demand timekeeper since his tenure with Charlie Parker and Bud Powell. It's evident throughout the entire album, from the rock-ist suggestions of Mongo Santamaria's &Afro Blue& to the poignant take on Horace Silver's &Que Pasa.& All of the groupings have their shining moments, but Haynes with Holland and Scofield is a combination that demands to be ed further. Recommended.