If you like soft, classic jazz (think John Coltrane's Ballads, Brandford Marsalis' Eternal); this is definately one for you. I can't stop thinking this music was created as a memory, while directly appealing to the 'red wine/soft couch/late night' crowd. This is simply Mellow Madness ala Tenor. A plus is Paul Ballenbeck, who plays almost exactly like Wes Montgomery did on his 60's Verve ballads. Recommended if soft classic jazz is your cup of tea/wine.
A tribute to Etta from a big-toned elder statesman of the tenor sax.
Ran Blake is one mysterioso pianist. His playing smacks of deep, complicated feelings, like melancholy, or nostalgia, where painful longing and sweet remembrance mix. His right hand - could be one finger - might hammer out a melody like a brass bell, choosing notes with a poet's care, while his left hand plumbs the depths, with low dissonant chords made all the more ambiguous via subtle foot pedaling. Other pianists abuse the sustain pedal for… more »
