On his latest recording, Dear Dorothy: The Oz Sessions, jazz pianist Chad Lawson offers a fresh take on the cultural myth born "in the midst of the great Kansas prairies." Lawson's delicate touch and thoughtful approach to the material give "Over the Rainbow" a fresh rhythmic lilt and transform "The Lollypop Guild" into a light, Lee Morgan-flavored groove. Though Dear Dorothy is seldom daring, it doesn't need to be. Lawson, along with bassist Zack Page and drummer Al Sergel, keeps it appropriately accessible while transforming the travelogue from a child's tale into an adult's mature, sentimental recollection.
