by Michael G. NastosJazz pianist David Hazeltine, like many baby boomer musicians, are influenced, among countless others, by Wes, Buddy & Monk Montgomery and Cedar Walton. For what he calls his most personally driven recording date, he pays tribute to them by composing a four-part suite inspired by their sounds. With help from the formidable vibraphonist Joe Locke and longtime collaborator tenor saxophonist Eric Alexander, Hazeltine and his quintet give alms with some well conceived and executed modern mainstream jazz. The suite begins as a neo-bop cadence buoys a splattering of several Cedar-flavored motifs, two-note accents, and piano-bass unison lines for "Motivation." "Reverence" has Locke's vibes shimmering on a low and slow latin shaded piece, followed by another bright neo-bop melody, "Insight," and the finale is a 6/8 composition "Gratitude" which could have easily fit into the repertoire of Walton & Bobby Hutcherson's Timeless All Stars book. Of the five stand alone tracks, two are covers left until the end of the CD -- Walton's much lesser known "Shoulders" is as straight ahead as jazz gets, while Buddy Montgomery's "Personage Of Wes" is a kinetic, uppity sizzler. A newly arranged, complex, arresting intro is tacked onto the standard "I Should Care," and Hazeltine's original "Don't Walk Away" is treated in latin fashion, occasional percussionist Daniel Sadownick adding the spice, but again settles in the modern mainstream. Hazeltine has not put out the full force blockbuster breakthrough recording his clear talent indicates, but this one ranks with his many best efforts.