Dan Diamant is one of the top three jazz accordionists in the world today. His bebop approach to melodic phrasing is like that of a jazz horn player, giving his music a unique quality. When you hear Dan's complex and bopping style, you'll wonder why the accordion is so little used in contemporary jazz.

As a pianist his technique is equally engaging: sometimes funky, sometimes playful, but always fresh, fluid, and swinging.

He's a composer, too. The four original compositions on "Dandi Works" range from hard bop to latin jazz, swinging blues, and a haunting waltz. All of these songs are candidates to enter the general jazz reportory. They are such strong tunes they sound like instant standards.

Although "Dandi Works" is Diamant's first CD, he's a versatile veteran of the jazz scene, having played with such greats as Toots Thielmans, Milt Hinton, Bernard Purdy, and Don Lamond. In the early days he served time in the bands of Skitch Henderson, Ray Bloch, and Peter Duchin.

The other members of the Dan Diamant Trio are equally accomplished veterans.

Bassist Brian Glassman, who offers an enticingly steady and dynamic accompaniment, has played with the likes of Lionel Hampton, "Sir" Roland Hanna, Cecil Payne, and John Pizzarelli.

The sparkling and musical drummer, Steve Halloway, adds much more than swing time to the trio. Steve has played with Nat Adderly, Mose Allison, Eddie Harris, and Joey DeFrancesco, among others.

You know Dan's a rebel when he starts the session with The Beatles' "Eleanor Rigby," then follows it with his own composition, "Roll Your R's." You'll especially like Dan's renditions of the Dietz-Schwartz standard "Alone Together" and the swinging Johnny Mercer tune, "Only You." Dan's own compositions "Waltz des Amis" and "Dolores Bolero" will keep you humming for days to come. And the bebop classics--Dizzy's "Tour de Force" and Bird's "Yardbird Suite"--show how well this later generation understands the soul of bop.

Enjoy these first fruits of a lifetime of music!