ProJazz.net

That Old Feeling is the third album led by pianist Albert Dailey which was recorded in 1978 and released on the SteepleChase label.

No big surprises, but excellent playing and sound on this trio record that was recorded in July, 1978, four days after SteepleChase recorded Shirley Horn’s “Lazy Afternoon” with Buster Williams and Billy Hart. Hart apparently recommended musicians including Horn to SteepleChase founder Nils Winther, and it’s possible this Dailey album, like the Horn, exists because Hart put in a good word for Dailey. The influence of McCoy Tyner looms large over this record, which is no surprise. Many a jazz pianist in the 1970s and 1980s used elements of Tyner’s muscular sound and growling left hand punctuations in their playing, and Billy Hart’s drumming likewise rises to the challenge like Elvin Jones with Tyner in the Coltrane Quartet. That said, the repertoire could almost be from a 1950s jazz session by Wynton Kelly or even Erroll Garner. The Beatles’ “Michelle” is the only tune that isn’t a bona fide American Songbook standard. The record is almost like Tyner playing a Bill Evans set, which isn’t a bad thing. The cover, on the other hand, looks like a driver’s license photo from 1962, and has to be one of SteepleChase’s lowest effort covers, which is saying a lot. But don’t let the cover cloud you appreciation of this overlooked album–it’s a gem (Jim Dixon).

Track listing:
“Music That Makes Me Dance” (Jule Styne) – 7:47
“Lover Man” (Jimmy Davis, Roger “Ram” Ramirez, James Sherman) – 4:39
“Yesterdays” (Jerome Kern, Otto Harbach) – 10:48
“Michelle” (John Lennon, Paul McCartney) – 5:23
“That Old Feeling” (Sammy Fain, Lew Brown) – 11:33
“Body and Soul” (Johnny Green, Frank Eyton, Edward Heyman, Robert Sour) – 6:53
“Night and Day” (Cole Porter) – 8:05 additional track on CD release

Personnel:
Albert Dailey – piano
Buster Williams – bass
Billy Hart – drums

_______________

Released: 1979
Recorded: July 13, 1978
Length: 55:11
Label: SteepleChase
SCS-1107
Producer: Nils Winther