Album Review: Live at Révéler from Chris Whiteman / John Toomey Quartet

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Album:  Live at Révéler
Artist:  Chris Whiteman / John Toomey Quartet
Label: Self-produced
Release Date:  October 2, 2026
Website:  www.chriswhitemanmusic.com

The hard bop harmonizing of guitarist Chris Whiteman and pianist John Toomey on their new release Live at Révéler gives audiences a taste of fine jazz cuisine, honing a habitat of comfy fluidity and melodic phrasing.  The pair co-lead while being half of a quartet completed by bassist Randall Pharr and drummer Aaron Binder.

"Footprints," a classic tune by Wayne Shorter, is an elegant display of jaunty guitar riffs latticed in twinkling piano keys.   Breezy,  smooth and gently arched, their performance is augmented by the steady pulse of Binder's drums and Pharr's bass.  The quartet shifts the mood to a bluesy swagger along "Coming Home Baby,"" a  sweet nugget by Ben Tucker and Bob Dorough, demonstrating Whiteman's nimble playing, snuggled by Toomey's pulsating keys as Binder's drums and Pharr's bass perforate the melody with a rhythmic throbbing.   

The listener instantly picks up the quartet's keen sense of rhythm from the start of the recording, as they transition into the dulcet swells of Whiteman's original melody "Autumn Falls," the dreamy sonic aerials of  Victor Young and Ned Washington's iconic piece "Stella by Starlight," and  cruise into the light bopping palpitations of "All The Things You Are," a fan favorite by Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II.  There is a subdued grandeur about the quartet's music that suspends and sustains listeners all throughout the ride.

Recorded at the Révéler club in Richmond, Virginia, on June 16, 2025, Live at Révéler is a symbiotic experience, where one's body, mind and soul comes together in complete harmony.  Keeping each other company and all remaining on the same page -- engulfed in the musical repertoire.

Musicians:
Chris Whiteman - guitar
John Toomey - piano 
Randall Pharr - bass
Aaron Binder - drums

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