Perhaps a good way to buoy spirits in this dispiriting time is to call your attention to music that gives the Rifftides staff a lift…in hopes that it may do the same for you. Pianist and composer Ethan Iverson’s recent collection Common Practice has moments that are helpful in that regard. Iverson put together a quartet that includes himself, bassist Ben Street, drummer Eric McPherson, and  guest artist Tom Harrell at a peak of imagination and inventiveness that is stunning even by that remarkable trumpeter’s high standards. Here they are, playing George and Ira Gershwin’s imperishable classic “The Man I Love.”
Ethan Iverson, from his album Common Practice, featuring tumpeter Tom Harrell in live performance with the quartet. In addition to the delights of a handful of standards and jazz classics including “Wee,” “I Remember You,” and “Sentimental Journey,” Iverson and company offer a pair of his witty original blues.