After doing an extensive interview with David Lanz last fall and exchanging a few emails early this year, it came as a real shock to see a new “live” album in record stores. Narada released it rather than Philips (David’s new label), so I was really puzzled. By then, David was in England recording his upcoming East of the Moon CD, so I had to wait to ask him about what was going on. In the meantime, I received a copy of the CD for review. Looking at the list of the songs should have been a tip-off, but the current photo on the cover yielded no clues. I read the liner notes, and down on the lower corner of the third page, it said the concert was recorded in Houston in 1989!!!! A 10-year-old concert??? When David returned, we exchanged a few more emails, and he said that he, too, was completely surprised by the CD, and had no input on it whatsoever. He is pleased with the recording overall, and since Narada owns the rights to the music, they can legally do whatever they choose.

For someone looking for an “early greatest hits” album, this is a really good bet. Many old favorites are included such as “Cristofori’s Dream”, “Leaves on the Seine”, “Dark Horse”, and “A Whiter Shade of Pale” (a total of fourteen songs), but those who have most of David’s earlier releases might want to wait until the new one comes out later this year. Evening is a lot of fun to listen to, but there are no surprises for longtime fans. I’ve seen David perform many times, and live, his humor and gentle stories are almost as important as the music - at the very least, they add a new dimension to it. There are no spoken words on this CD, so I don’t feel it truly represents David’s live performance. The selection is great, and the quality of the performance is excellent, but it seems somewhat deceptive to release a concert album ten years after the concert took place without putting a date on the cover.