Michael Blum (gtr/vcl); Jim Stinnett (bs); Brad Smith (pno); Dom Moio (dms).
(Review by Lance).
A Tribute to Oscar Peterson - who's this latest young pianistic pretender to the throne? To get there, he's got to get past the number one contender, our own Dean Stockdale.
But, half a mo, this guy ain't a piano man he's a guitarist!
A young guitarist, 23 in May, Down Beat's Rising Star [guitar] last year, Blum has successfully captured Peterson's vibrancy and transferred it to guitar. He's even managed to re-create some of Oscar's piano solos note for note on guitar! This he did by ear rather than from transcriptions.
"Each of Oscar's solos is a work of art unto itself," he explains. "Like a Beethoven symphony, these tracks warrant the same kind of attention and study. I thought there would be no better way to pay tribute to Oscar than to play Oscar."
Peterson was also a capable King Cole sounding vocalist. Blum kicks in with a couple of vocals that fall slightly short of Oscar's, just as Oscar's didn't quite match King Cole's although, in both cases, it was a close call.
The more I think about it, if you want to pay tribute to Oscar, do it on any instrument but piano! (Dean the exception) like if you want to pay tribute to Muhammad Ali do it by writing rather than fighting!.
A delightful album: Nightingale (Peterson original); I Loves You Porgy; You Look Good to Me; Girl From Ipanema; East of the Sun (vocal); Tristeza; Pine (Jim Stinnett original); Tenderly (vcl); Whisper (Stinnett).
Lance.
Available June 17.
Lance.
Available June 17.
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