Thursday, June 26, 2008

Willie + Wynton: How'd I miss that one!?!?

Even for an obsessive music junkie like myself, sometimes a show slips under the radar. Such was the case with the January 12 and 13, 2007 shows at Jazz at Lincoln Center (JALC) billed as "Willie Nelson Sings the Blues." Now it is possible that, having seen Willie several times, I saw this listing and let it fade from my memory. Maybe I assumed it would be the same old Willie show, always entertaining but rarely groundbreaking. Or maybe it was the shock of returning to the NYC winter after a month working my family's grove in Florida that made me reluctant to venture out for this show. To be honest I don't recall. In fact, I heard about it for the first time today, while listening to the stream from wfpk in Louisville, KY (one of the web's most eclectic and entertaining radio streams). But whatever the reason for my oversight, it appears to have been a mistake.

The shows turned out to be Willie performing with Wynton Marsalis and members of the JALC orchestra. For two nights Willie, Wynton and the gang grooved through jazz standards, blues classics and Willie's extensive repertoire. The shows were filled with a brand new take on songs one or both of these musicians had played hundreds, if not thousands of times. Luckily for those of us that missed it, Blue Note will be releasing an album recorded during this run, titled "Two Men with the Blues",
on July 8th, 2008.

(Click Image To Visit the Site)

Now since I'm not part of the "Media Elite", I don't receive advance copies of CDs mailed to my door. Someday maybe, but for now I have to get by with the free samples available on the website like the rest of you. And based on the offerings there ("Bright Lights, Big City" and "Georgia on My Mind"), we are in for quite a treat. Wynton's band adds a touch of swing and New Orleans boogie to the songs that seems to lift them to new heights. From the get go, it is clear that this was one of those special events where the musicians and mood hit at the same time, leaving spontaneous renditions of classics songs that will be enjoyed for years to come. In a video on the site, Willie makes this comment:
"I think labels were invented to sell music. You had to know what to call it before you could sell it...But some music encompasses it all. So what do you call that? That's pretty much what I like to play."
And that is an apt description of what you'll find in this CD. Music that draws from every corner of the American Musical Lexicon, and mixes these diverse styles into a new gumbo where New Orleans mingles with Nashville. A sublime marriage of the Big City and the Heartland. And these days, anything that crosses that divide is good for all of us.

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