Published 10:00 pm, Friday, August 16, 2013
Saxophonist Paul Carlon leads a varied assortment of musicians in a salute to the music of Duke Ellington stalwart Billy Strayhorn in this new album. Instead of a straightforward jazz approach, Carlon has a concept. In some sense, it is an analogue to what some stage directors feel they need to do when staging Shakespeare. Hamlet has been done so often, you can't just do it straight. How about setting it in a prison in Georgia?
Strayhorn's music, so iconic, is like a Shakespeare play. What, he asks, would Strayhorn's music sound like had he been born in Havana (a concept those of us in Western Pennsylvania might find less than thrilling)? This album is the answer-Strayhorn with a Cuban touch. Turns out that played straight or with Afro-Latin rhythms, Strayhorn's music (even some of the less well known tunes) is as good as it gets.
Of the 10 songs on the album, probably the best known is the classic "Take the A Train," here played in a Cuban 6/8 rhythm and featuring solos from Mike Fahie on trombone and Dave Ambrosio on acoustic bass. Christelle Durandy does vocal work on five tracks, including "Day Dream," "Passion Flower," and "A Flower is a Lovesome Thing." "Chelsea Bridge" gets some interesting solo work from trumpeter Alex Norris.
Read more: http://www.seattlepi.com/lifestyle/blogcritics/article/Music-Reviews-Paul-Carlon-The-Jimmy-Amadie-4740314.php
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