By Marilyn Lester***Fourteen years ago, as Fate would have it, multi-talented drummer Daniel Glass sat in on Jim Caruso’s Cast Party. It was a defining moment because Glass was quickly put on board as the house drummer for the show. More 
fortunate still is that he’d just completed a progress West from his native Hawaii to the West Coast to finally settling in NYC, where’s he’s since established himself as a sought-after sideman and educator. Once a year Glass appears with his working trio in the club as a leader, and that’s our good fortune.
That trio is a dream team of rhythm, with A-listers bassist Michael O’Brien and guitarist Sean Harkness. Harkness, in the absence of the traditional piano, handles melody and creative ideas that draw from many sources and filter through his mind and fingers to form spectacular feats of playing, fronting on a show focused on standards and swing. After 
a dramatic tambourine entrance by Glass, the trio launched into Cream’s “I Feel Free” (Jack Bruce, Pete Brown), smoothly moving into Cedar Walton’s “Bolivia.” Eclecticism? That, explained Glass derives from his growing up in muti-cultural Honolulu, where his sight and sound was atuned to many varied inputs.
Add to Glass’ accomplishments, composing. “Sparkler,” which he wrote with classic film themes in mind, updating the genre with a portion of funk. Out-of-the-box bassists can play sit-up-and-take-notice sounds with their instruments and on this one, O’Brien’s bowing delivered lovely melody lines. Harkness made each note of the piece truly sparkle. A treat was singer Eddie Wakes, too seldom seen in our town—a pop vocalist also steeped in blues and gospel as well as 
jazz/Songbook standards. The singer offered a bluesy “sorry” song in the mode of his repertoire favorite “Beggar for the Blues” (Ray Rasch, Dotty Wayne).
A fun part of the show was the revelation that Glass sings and tap dances! Long-time musical partner and singer-tapper, Luke Hawkins, was another special guest. The song was the 1934 swing standard, “Rhythm Is Our Business” (Saul Chaplin, Sammy Cahn, Jimmie Lunceford), with Hawkins, tapping and singing, joined by Glass on vocals. But then, surprise, Glass stepped out from his kit and the pair executed a truly delightful “Shim Sham” routine together. An original Harkness tune, “Gamble,” featured innovative rhythmic changes and repetitions over its melody line. Closer was a creative jazz interpretation of the traditional folk ballad, “Scarborough Fair,” 
with more sparkles from Harkness as he wove in and out of melody. Add to that solid bass lines from O’Brien and a very welcome, awaited drum feature from the master, who put the definitive button on a terrific, eclectic set of music.
Photos by Kevin Alvey
