Quick, how many jazz cellists can you name? No cheating: not counting, that is, the bassists who "double" on cello. The semi-legendary Fred Katz is one, most famous (?) for his associations with Chico Hamilton and Ken Nordine. (Katz has albums of his own but all are out-of-print.) Fred Lonberg-Holm is another, associated mostly with the NYC Tonic/Knitting Factory faction and, more recently, both Chicago’s alt-rock and cutting-edge jazz communities. Here, a young Fred respectfully tips his cello-case to the elder via a "tribute" disc of mostly Katz compositions. FLH’s trio format is a little "bare" sounding - I sometimes wonder what it might’ve sounded like with the addition of piano, guitar or clarinet - but it does give everybody plenty of room to explore/reinvent the material. Katz’s tunes are in the hard bop mode with a hint of Third Stream [jazz+classical], but the accent here is on subtle group interplay. It’s a reserved, somewhat cerebral sound that recalls the classic Jimmy Giuffre trios of the early 1960s and the ECM Records sound (e.g., Paul Bley, Keith Jarrett, Bobo Stenson, etc.) Swing is indeed the thing, though expressed in an understated manner. FLH plays with a somber yet vivid, reedy, amber, almost sax-like tone, and his compatriots provide restrained, empathetic support. Valentine makes for fine contemplative/late-night listening. Cello fans of the world unite!