Nobody Else But Me

An excellent jazz pianist, Michael Pagan is in top form throughout this solo date. A modern mainstream player, Pagan hints at Oscar Peterson, Bill Evans, George Shearing and even Art Tatum in spots but essentially sounds like himself. He is lyrical on ballads (his rendition of "There'll Be Another Spring" is touching), swings hard on the more uptempo tunes and includes modern jazz songs from Enrico Pieranunzi, Kenny Wheeler and Steve Swallow in his repertoire. Although not too well known, Michael Pagan deserves recognition as a superior jazz pianist on the level of a Bill Charlap.