One of the most impressive things about Adam Nussbaum is the stylistic range of the music he’s made. He played with James Moody for many years, with George Gruntz and Michael Brecker each for a few, and continues to work in various different groups led by Dave Liebman. He’s been with Gil Evans, John Scofield (they’re both from around Norwalk, Conn., and knew each other as teenagers), and Joe Sample—“just a piano trio, but we did funky Crusaders stuff.”
The many recordings that Nussbaum’s heard on also tend to impress: Joey Calderazzo’s debut In the Door and John Abercrombie’s organ-trio album Tactics, to name just two. Then there’s the fact that 40 years on from the time Nussbaum first hit the scene—supporting singers Joe Lee Wilson and Sheila Jordan in 1976—he’s finally recorded his own album as a leader, and it’s a welcome surprise.
