''The Countdown'' is the fifth studio album by American jazz pianist

Mulgrew Miller Mulgrew Miller (August 13, 1955 – May 29, 2013) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and educator. As a child he played in churches and was influenced on piano by Ramsey Lewis and then Oscar Peterson. Aspects of their styles remained ...

. The album was released in 1988 by

Landmark Records Landmark Records was an American jazz record company and label founded in 1985 by Orrin Keepnews. Landmark's releases included music by Donald Byrd, Jack DeJohnette, Jimmy Heath, Vincent Herring, Bobby Hutcherson, Mulgrew Miller, Buddy Montgomer ...

. For this record Miller teamed with

Ron Carter Ronald Levin Carter (born May 4, 1937) is an American jazz double bassist. His appearances on 2,221 recording sessions make him the most-recorded jazz bassist in history. He has won three Grammy awards, and is also a cellist who has recorded n ...

on bass,

Joe Henderson Joe Henderson (April 24, 1937 – June 30, 2001) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. In a career spanning more than four decades, Henderson played with many of the leading American players of his day and recorded for several prominent l ...

on tenor sax, and Tony Williams on drums. Initially, the album contained seven compositions, but later it was re-released with the bonus track "1684".

Reception

Scott Yanow Scott Yanow (born October 4, 1954) is an American jazz reviewer, historian, and author. Allmusic Biography/ref> Biography Yanow was born in New York City and grew up near Los Angeles. Since 1974, he was a regular reviewer of many jazz styles a ...

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the dat ...

noted that the album "is a particularly strong all-star date, teaming the pianist with tenor saxophonist Joe Henderson (who sits out on two of the seven numbers), bassist Ron Carter and drummer Tony Williams. Other than a surprisingly effective 'What the World Needs Now Is Love', the repertoire is composed of originals by Miller (four) and one apiece from Williams and Henderson ('Tetragon'). A high-quality advanced hard bop set."

Track listing

Personnel

Musicians *Ron Carter – bass *Joe Henderson – tenor sax *Mulgrew Miller – piano *Tony Williams – drums Production *Phil Bray – photography *Phil Carroll – art direction *George Horn – mastering *Orrin Keepnews – liner notes, producer *Danny Kopelson – engineering, remixing

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Countdown 1988 albums Landmark Records albums Albums produced by Orrin Keepnews Mulgrew Miller albums