Works on Canvas

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Source	Rating
AllMusic	[3]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings	[4]

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Michael G. Nastos of AllMusic stated, "Blackman, more than a timekeeper but less a melodist (like Max Roach), thankfully continues to grow and not sell out to more overtly commercial considerations. Her desire to be a jazz player is clear, and she's making strong inroads to being a formidable bandleader as well".^[3] In JazzTimes, John Murph called it "an amazing portrait of one of this generation’s most colorful drummers".^[5]

The Washington Post's Mike Joyce commented: "There's no concealing the painterly touches that inspired the title of... Works on Canvas... throughout the album, Blackman draws from a broad palette of tonal colors to create striking contrasts in light and dark, motion and stillness."^[6]

All compositions by Cindy Blackman except where noted

1. "Green Dolphin Street" (Bronisław Kaper, Ned Washington) – 9:04
2. "Mudee Ya" (J. D. Allen) – 8:06
3. "My Isha" (Carlton Holmes) – 2:53
4. "The Three Van Goghs - 1" – 1:16
5. "Spanish Colored Romance" – 6:53
6. "Ballad Like" – 6:36
7. "My Ship" (Kurt Weill, Ira Gershwin) – 5:39
8. "April in Paris" (Vernon Duke, Yip Harburg) – 7:24
9. "Beautiful World" (Holmes) – 5:27
10. "The Three Van Goghs - 2" – 3:14
11. "Sword of the Painter" – 7:58
12. "The Three Van Goghs - 3" – 2:19

• Cindy Blackman – drums
• J. D. Allen – tenor saxophone (tracks 1–3, 5–9 & 11)
• Carlton Holmes – piano, Fender Rhodes piano, keyboards
• George Mitchell – bass (tracks 1–3, 5–9 & 11)