Back in the 50s and 60s, it wasn't all that rare to have a jazz record come out with that had young musicians playing on sessions side by side with the previous generation of old stars, e.g., John Coltrane playing with Duke Ellington, Gerry Mulligan with Ben Webster. Less typical back then was a session where an old star was another session player for an young hotshot, like Coleman Hawkins backing Thelonious Monk. These kind of record sessions don't happen today. Maybe you might have an old-timer play on one cut or another on a record by a new star, but that's fairly rare and gimmicky--although James Carter's "Conversation With The Elders" from 1996 had some wonderful moments on it. But to have a record from a young musician where one great older musician is a sideman for the whole session doesn't seem to happen these days.

But it just did happen recently. With one great young-ish musician, altoist Greg Osby, and TWO great older musicians, guitarist Jim Hall and pianist Andrew Hill, appeared on Osby's gorgeous new The Invisible Hand. And these two generous musicians, whose sideman appearances since 1965 have been virtually non-existent, were integral contributors to the session. Plus each Hill and Hall contributed new material to the Osby's record.

And I shouldn't ignore the other youngish folk on the record. Scott Colley on bass and Terri Lyne Carrington on drums round out a very inventive rhythm section. And Greg Thomas on flute, alto flute, and tenor sax adds a major young star. It reminds me that just because Eric Dolphy and Roland Kirk are no longer around that the flute is a very cool jazz instrument.

Now let me tell you why this is a new jazz record that stands out from almost any jazz records released in many years. It's a very calm, patient, intelligent record that isn't trying to blow you away with flashy technique, though everyone on the session has the chops to do it. The writing on the five originals sound like complex and ethereal classics from the early to mid-60s--just ones you haven't heard yet.

The covers are brilliant re-inventions, twists and turns that make classics seem brand new. Greg Osby and Andrew Hill would have made both Fats Waller and Thelonious Monk proud with a delightfully angular version of Waller's "Jitterbug Waltz". Osby does a nice job on Quincy Jones' moody "Who Needs Forever" (fyi: before he was a celebrity, Jones was a great jazz songwriter and arranger), but his work on the creaky old "Indiana" is a tour de force, in a Coleman Hawkins meets Ornette Coleman sort of way. The absolute beauty is "Nature Boy" (yeah, the Nat King Cole one), with tasty guitar and flute riffs insinuating themselves behind Osby's solo. And Hall's solo here is worth the price of the record. (Readers, take particular notice, as the writer is a person who typically feels that the guitar's place in jazz is as appropriate as the trombone's is in rock and roll.)

Andrew Hill's "Ashes" is a good starter, with a cool solo by Jim Hall, imaginative one by Osby, and a Hill solo with some wonderful interplay with Colley and Carrington. Jim Hall's "Sanctus" is highlighted by some nice call-and-response between alto, flute, and guitar, and a short but sweet bass solo. Andrew Hill's "Tough Love" sounds somewhere between Monk and Coltrane, a damned fine place to sound. Osby's "With Son" is a quiet, introspective ballad, the type of composition that seemed to come to light in the early 60s, and usually not that far from Miles Davis. Osby's "The Watcher", a duet with Andrew Hill, has two different versions on the disc, and the interplay between them reflects an incredible rapport between master and disciple.

I don't care if you've never heard of Greg Osby, or if Andrew Hill and Jim Hall are just names of artists you've seen in the CD racks: buy "The Invisible Hand". Without being mindless, it's goddamned beautiful from start to finish. No money back guarantees, but if I'm any judge, this is a hand that will soothe your post-millennial, troubled soul.