The Mystery of Compassion is an album by American jazz French horn player and composer Tom Varner recorded in 1992 and released on the Italian Soul Note label.[1]
The AllMusic review by Brian Olewnick awarded the album 4 stars stating "Varner's ensemble offers up fascinating music that straddles the borders between jazz and an urban mix with a root or two in noir soundtracks, world music, and who knows what else. The Mystery of Compassion is a must for fans of the jazzier edges of the downtown New York scene".[2]
The authors of the Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings awarded the album 4 stars, and wrote: "Varner's alarming juxtapositions make coherent sense without losing their capacity to surprise, and the players involved respond with a passionate intensity which is rare even among these driven musicians."[3]
Track listing
All compositions and arrangements by Tom Varner
"How Does Power Work?" - 9:32
"Water and Wood" - 5:56
"Fool's Oasis" - 8:26
"A Severed Arm" - 1:01
"The Well" - 13:52
"Death at the Right Time" - 7:21
"Control Passion" - 9:53
"Plunge" - 0:53
"$1000 Hat" - 14:15
"Prayer" - 3:20
Recorded at Baby Monster Studio in New York City on March 5, 6 & 7, 1992
