BY BOBBY REEDIn 2007, pianist Harold Mabern paid tribute to songwriter Harold Arlen with the albumSomewhere Over The Rainbow, and now he’s released a very different type of homage—Mr. Lucky: A Tribute To Sammy Davis Jr. Mabern views Davis (1925–’90) as a hero and has described the singer/actor/dancer as “the greatest all-around performer ever.” Between 1955 and 1969, Davis had seven hits on the Billboard pop chart, and Mabern’s quartet interprets three of them here: “Something’s Gotta Give” swings with grace and power, “I’ve Gotta Be Me” is a showcase for tenor saxophonist Eric Alexander’s rich, gorgeous tone, and “What Kind Of Fool Am I?” simply sparkles, thanks to the superb combination of the pianist’s agile right-hand figures and drummer Joe Farnsworth’s expert brushwork. Double bassist John Webber deftly anchors the quartet and offers an elegant, 47-second solo on the album’s only original number, “Soft Shoe Trainin’ With Sammy,” penned by Mabern. The album opens with the earworm “The People Tree,” delivered in a smile-inducing, jaunty arrangement. Kudos to Mabern for embracing this Leslie Bricusse & Anthony Newley mood-lifter from the musical The Good Old Bad Old Days!At the end of this tune, Alexander puts a cherry on top of the succulent sundae by including a brief quote from Davis’ biggest hit, “The Candy Man” (also penned by Bricusse & Newley). The centerpiece of this album is a beautiful solo piano reading of “Hey There,” which should please fans of Mabern’s 2008 solo piano date, Misty. For his 19th project as a leader, Mabern went to Englewood Cliffs, N.J., to work with the legendary Rudy Van Gelder, who engineered, mixed and mastered Mr. Lucky.
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