By Tom Ineck After nearly two months of anticipation, Kansas City jazz piano great Joe Cartwright and his trio finally made an appearance Nov. 15, 2001 at P.O. Pears in Lincoln, and it was well worth the wait. Cartwright was forced to cancel his Sept. 20 performance after a Cornhusker football game was moved to that night in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. The popular downtown Lincoln pub would cater to Husker fans that night, and jazz would have to wait. When Cartwright finally arrived at the club with bassist Gerald Spaits and drummer Ray DeMarchi, dozens of jazz fans arrived with high expectations. They were not to be disappointed. Known for his two-fisted keyboard attack and a repertoire ranging from bebop and blues to soul and Brazilian jazz, Cartwright played the full gamut with consummate skill. The Berman Music Foundation underwrote Cartwright's appearance. On "I Never Fall in Love," Cartwright employed bluesy block-chord progressions, setting a high standard of musicianship early in the show. His version of the keyboard classic "Poinciana" was absolutely rhapsodic, with bold improvisation and deft passing phrases demonstrating his unerring grasp of harmony and rhythm. The mid-tempo Walter Booker composition "Saudade," which opens Cartwright's latest recording, "La Luna Negra," was followed by the Ellington blues "Things Ain't What They Used to Be." Cartwright then launched into "Cold Duck Time," the Eddie Harris funk classic that is rife with tension-and-release passages, hand-over-fist keyboard antics and a driving rhythm. It also is one of the strongest tracks on "La Luna Negra." One highlight followed another, as Cartwright eased into "Georgia on My Mind" with a gospel-style solo piano introduction, tossing off trills and slowly building the excitement with dramatic pauses, before moving up-tempo ala Gene Harris. Like Harris, Cartwright is capable of creating a spirit of boundless energy and joy with his playing. Dipping into the bebop book, Cartwright drew out Bud Powell's little-known "So Sorry, Please." Returning to "La Luna Negra," he played "Samba Feliz" by fellow jazz pianist Bill Cunliffe. "Too Close For Comfort" featured Spaits playing the melody on bass, followed by a piano-bass exchange. Another highlight was Cartwright's clever solo piano interpolation of "If I Only Had a Brain" and "Ding! Dong! The Witch is Dead" in the introduction to "Over the Rainbow." When the trio finally stated the melody, it was delivered with a decidedly funky, mid-tempo edge. From there, they veered to an even funkier rendition of the Meters' "Something You Got," complete with the original New Orleans-style flair. Again, the spirited soul-gospel mood was reminiscent of the late Gene Harris. Mal Waldron's exquisite ballad "Soul Eyes" was achingly beautiful, with drummer DeMarchi demonstrating his sensitive brushwork and Spaits taking a well-structured solo. Cartwright's latest passion is Latin jazz, which is most evident on "La Luna Negra," and also emerges on other tunes in performance, including "Close Your Eyes." But the same could be said of Cartwright's playing on music that falls outside the realm of Latin jazz. As the pianist writes in the CD's liner notes, "It is my sincere hope that the joy I experience when performing this music can be transmuted to you, the listener." That is exactly what happened Nov. 15 at P.O. Pears in Lincoln. Thanks, Joe.