A piano giant of the New York jazz scene for 40 years, John could break your heart with a ballad, sweep you off your feet with an anthem, or boot you into boogeyin' with one of his cookers. And he had the rare gift of inspiring his sidemen to play beyond themselves. Passion Flower pairs his two trio sessions for Mapleshade - including nine of Hicks' most enduring compositions, breathtaking Ellington, Gershwin and Strayhorn ballads, and brilliantly swinging versions of Thad Jones, Charlie Mingus, and Wayne Shorter pieces (all of whom Hicks played with). Disc 1 is a lushly romantic trio with sensuous flute and delicately swinging bass. On Disc 2 there's hard-hitting, polyrhythmic drums with driving bass, a subtly arranged string quartet that joins the trio on a few tracks, and unforgettable solo tracks by Hicks. "One of Hicks' finest recordings," is the Washington Post's judgement. The sound is the best of any Hicks on record; Stereophile raves "...as natural and true to life as can be."
TRACK LISTING
Disc One
1. Sometime Ago Listen to Full Song
2. Ingant Eyes Listen to Sample
3. Yes Or No Listen to Sample
4. Ballad Of A Black Man
5. Ghosts Of Yesterday
6. Portraits
7. Topaz
8. A Child Is Born
9. Single Petal Of A Rose
10. Embraceable You
11. Virgo
Disc Two
1. Heart To Heart Listen to Full Song
2. Minor Collaboration Listen to Sample
3. Peace For E.H.
4. Two Heart Beats
5. The Wandering Soul
6. Naima's Love Song Listen to Sample
7. Passion Flower
8. After The Dawn
9. West Side Winds
10. No More Regrets
