As a leader and a sideman, George Cables defines mainstream jazz piano. When he was 18 he worked with Steve Grossman and Billy Cobham. He quickly gained recognition and worked with Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, Sonny Rollins, Joe Henderson and Freddie Hubbard. He was on piano with Dexter Gordon from 1976 to 1978. George was Art Pepper's favorite pianist, no doubt because his harmonic sense, as well as the way he touches the keyboard and the way he phrases, raises him above the pack of competent yet generic players. He has performed and recorded with some of the greatest jazz musicians of our time, including: Joe Henderson, Roy Haynes, Max Roach, Art Blakey, Sonny Rollins, Tony Williams, and Dizzy Gillespie. In addition to composing and arranging for his own albums, George Cables has contributed to recordings by Dexter Gordon, Art Pepper, Freddie Hubbard, Woody Shaw and many others. George Cables spent a great deal of time in San Francisco and this live performance was recorded at the famed Keystone Korner in 1980. |