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ARBORS
JESSICA MOLASKY/ A Kiss to Build a Dream On: If there was a national cabaret circuit you could make an actual living playing, Molasky would be the queen of it with this album under her belt. While there is a lot of competition for the title for who could be a cabaret queen, Molasky seems to be the one with the whole package on deck. With the help of her extended family providing a loving and lovely setting, Molasky works her way though a series of oldies with a charm and grace that belters can’t match. A solid set of adult listening that goes the distance and then some.
19384
REBECCA KILGORE-DAVE FRISHBERG/Why Fight the Feeling: See, it does good to bitch! Standing there in Borders with some 40% coupons and taste for some Frishberg while none is there and nothing new seems to be on the horizon, the gods of humorous jazz took note. Add to that the neglected works of Frank Loesser, strange since Macca owns his catalog, and you get a mighty sweet set that you can almost call a dandy trio date, even if one trio is dead and a composer instead of a player. Kilgore and Frishberg are an already known, potent combination and this is the kind of intimate but energetic set that is almost reminiscent of past adult listening like “Party with Comden and Green”. Breezy, adult listening that belongs in every smart hipsters MP3 player.
19356
DL MEDIA
THELONIOUS MONK/Thelonious Himself: Some might find this 1957 classic a touch out of Monk character, but when he went solo, he liked to hit the standards, even if these were still short in the tooth 50 years ago. Monk is Monk and you do know what you’re getting no matter what mode he was going through. Solo Monk is hard to ignore because when you have him front and center like you do here, you simply have an American original on display. It stands up.
30510 (Riverside/Keepnews Collection)
BILL EVANS TRIO/Sunday at the Village Vanguard: A taste of the farewell performances from Evans first great trio, complete with parting glances of Scott LaFaro. With a bunch of bonus tracks that all Evans geeks will deem required listening, even if other takes are on board in the original recording. Evans, another classic original, is live and direct here in a timeless presentation.
30509 (Riverside/Keepnews Collection)
ECHOES OF SWING
ECHOES OF SWING/4 Jokes in the Pack: After impressing us as one of the best of the new breed of whorehouse piano players earlier this year, Chris Hopkins comes back on sax leading this award wining retro swing group through a charming set of Hot Club meets Tex Avery soundtrack music. Swinging, swaying , loaded with great playing, this is the defining set that raises the bar separating those that can do and those who are aspiring. Tasty, zesty and winning throughout. Hopkins is the kind of artist that the Internet needs to trumpet far and wide. Great stuff.
4505 www.hopkins.de
TWO FOR THE SHOW MEDIA
CHICO PINHEIRO & ANTHONY WILSON/Nova: Who doesn’t like the incredible guitarist Wilson, a player at the top of his game that doesn’t know how to step back? Pair him with a Brazilian fan that is bringing Brazilian guitar music into the present with an eye toward the future and the current crappy economy forcing great players to make sparse recordings and you have an ear opener of epic proportions that transcends any bs you can throw at it. In the right hands, it seems like Brazilian music, samba and beyond, never wear out its welcome and this is a most welcoming date. Killer stuff from killer players on a roll. Check it out.
(Goat Hill Music) www.anthonywilsonmusic.com
Volume 31/Number 338
October 3, 2008
MIDWEST RECORD
830 W. Route 22 #144
Lake Zurich, IL., 60047
CHRIS SPECTOR, Editor and Publisher
©2008 Midwest Record
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