As a substitute Jazz Announcer at WTJU I have access to all the new cd’s that the station receives, as well as its library of thousands of cd’s and LP’s. Here are some of my faves among recent TJU library additions, and one downer . . ..
PICKS!
At the top of my List of Picks is Henry Butler’s first solo album, Pianola, on the Basin Street label. It’s on top because he’s a hoot! This New Orleans piano player and blues singer is blind, has been around for a long time, is a local favorite – and is a wild man. He plays the piano and sings with abandon. He is unfettered, doesn’t give a damn if he doesn’t sound commercial. Try this one – and brace yourself.
Thunder, a new album by S.M.V. on the Heads Up label, is intriguing. ‘S.M.V.’ is from the first name initials of Stanley Clarke, Marcus Miller and Victor Wooten. These guys are electric bass players. Along with a few other instruments along the way they produce a jazz sound that could be a new genre. The tracks are a mix of straight-ahead, funk, and avant-garde. Highly recommended. I have no idea how it happened, but they are performing in Charlottesville at the Paramount August 17!
Michael Moore & Fred Hersch do duets on This We Know (Palmetto). Moore is on clarinet and alto, Hersch on piano. With just these instruments, this cd has a chamber music feel but it’s clearly a jazz chamber. There’s some sweet balladic sounds, a bit of avant-garde a bit of bounce – a real buffet. Michael Moore was recently in Charlottesville with Jewels and Binoculars, and both artists have several cd’s to their credit. A cutting edge – a soft one perhaps, but cutting nonetheless.
A local group, The Lew Woodall Trio has self-produced an excellent album, Simply Cooking. Woodall’s on guitar, Hod O’Brien on piano, Tom Harbeck, bass, and Joel Lubliner on drums. The recording was done in Beautiful Downtown Batesville, VA. (WTJU’s own Gary Funston wrote the liner notes!) Three are originals, all arrangements are by Woodall and O’Brien. This is straight-ahead stuff. They swing lightly and they swing hard. Staunton’s Jazz in the Park series featured them in July – so keep your eyes open!
Nicole Henry gets my vote for the best female vocalist I’ve heard in a while. There’s lots of them that come down the pike, and Nicole’s styling and phrasing on The very Thought of You (Baister label) set her apart. She’s doing jazz and show standards on this album, including a couple of warhorses, which makes it an even tougher challenge for someone to stand out. She does.
PANS . . .
One disappointment recently is Irma Thomas’ Simply Grand, on Rounder. She’s backed by different piano players – like Dr. John, Henry Butler, John Cleary, and several others. Right off the bat this sounded like a great project when I first saw the cd. But it’s boring. Except for two or three pieces that have a bit of tempo, there’s little of the R&B spunk or the painful soul that I remember her for – or that I expect from some of the pianists for that matter. By and large the pieces are slow and sentimental. Bummer.
- David Lee
