By Jim Hynes, Making A Scene
“Bassist Leon Lee Dorsey and legendary drummer Mike Clark are a tandem that just keeps on chugging, raising curiosity as to who will be the third member to join them on their next outing. Freedom Jazz Dance marks their fourth collaboration, having begun with 2019’s Monk Time (with guitarist Greg Skaff, 2020’s Play Sgt. Pepper (with pianist Michael Wolff) and this year’s Thank You Mr. Mabern (featuring the late great pianist Harold Mabern), they now team with Cuban-born pianist Manuel Valera. This set is dedicated to the late Puerto Rican-born piano master Hilton Ruiz, with whom Dorsey played in his waning years. Valera was originally a saxophonist but switched to piano full-time upon moving to NYC in 2000. He has since issued 13 albums as a leader and, like Gonzalo Rubalcaba, is equally comfortable in the Cuban stylings of son and danzón as he is in bebop and hard bop.”
Read the review here.