With All My Heart

1	Bernie's Tune 3:41
2	If I Should Lose You 7:26
3	So Near, So Far 4:41
4	Swamp Fire 4:18
5	Smoke Gets In Your Eyes 6:13
6	Hindsight 5:26
7	Dindi 7:47
8	Without A Song 6:40
9	One Morning In May 4:41
10	Speak Like A Child 5:18
11	Tess 4:50

Barnes & Noble

Drummer Harvey Mason has great taste in pianists. Among the world-class stylists who accepted his invitation to participate on this program of piano trios are Herbie Hancock, Hank Jones, Kenny Barron, Chick Corea, Brad Mehldau, Bob James, Fred Hersch, Cedar Walton, Monty Alexander, and Mulgrew Miller. Mason also has an ear for great bassists as well: Ron Carter, Charlie Haden, Larry Grenadier, Eddie Gomez, and Charnett Moffett make striking appearances here. The leader is no slouch on his instrument, either, as those familiar with his work over the past 30-plus year can attest. Mason may be best known for his work with Hancock’s funky Headhunters band of the 1970s and for his more recent smooth-jazz recordings with Fourplay, but he’s also an exceptional straight-ahead jazz player. (His remarkable affinity for pianists and the piano trio setting may be attributable to his early stints with Errol Garner and George Shearing.) With All My Heart is consistently lively and remarkably consistent; despite the fluctuating lineup, a unified sound is maintained, lending the album identity and focus. An unexpected triumph for all concerned. Steve Futterman

All Music Guide

Because Harvey Mason has appeared so frequently as a sideman on lots of smooth jazz dates, one tends to think of him solely within that genre, even though his roots are in straight-ahead jazz. This rare date as a leader features the drummer leading a series of 11 different piano-bass-drums trios, primarily in post-bop, bop or hard bop settings. His arrangement of "Bernie's Tune" is very refreshing, utilizing reoccurring displaced rhythm behind Kenny Barron and Ron Carter. The magic continues with Chick Corea and Dave Carpenter in their creative rendition of "If I Should Lose You." Victor Feldman's less familiar "So Near, So Far" features Fred Hersch and Eddie Gomez, though the expected influence of the late Bill Evans is minimal. But elder statesman Hank Jones steals the spotlight with his elegant interpretation of "Tess," a tune that was brand new to him; Mason and Jones' longtime bassist George Mraz joins him. Some of the other participating musicians for this project include Monty Alexander, Charlie Haden, Cedar Walton, Mulgrew Miller, Herbie Hancock, Brad Mehldau, Bob James and Dave Grusin. Mason's informative liner notes not only describe how each take came together in the studio but add background about his relationship to each musician or what appealed to him about each individual's playing. The only oversight on this terrific release is the inadvertent omission of track-by-track composer credits, though a few of them are included within Mason's commentary. Ken Dryden