* 2022 stock * This recording of a 1971 date pairs legendary hard bop pianist Freddie Redd with an obscure French rhythm section. Didier Levallet and Didier Carlier on bass and drums, respectively, are certainly good musicians; they comp and center very well around the changes Redd sets out in his original tunes such as "Diane I Love You," "Bleeker Street Blues," "To Bud With Love," "This Heart of Mine," "You," and "My God Is Love." Their backing is tight and organized, and that's the problem. Redd is well-known for his occasional firebrand solos and rhythmically driven flights of fancy in improvisation. This pair is no match for his intricate melodic architecture, his gorgeous, shimmering ostinato phrasing that comes right out of the blues, and his swinging post-bop harmonic sense. The music here just floats along, adequate, beautifully played.