A tuba led ensemble may not, at first glance, be a mouthwatering prospect even when it's played by someone who was the "Voice of the Mothership" in Close Encounters of the Third Kind i.e Jim Self.
Nevertheless, despite my misgivings, it is cleverly arranged by Kim Scharnberg and Self, himself, displays a dexterity rarely found in these monsters of the deep.
Described as Self's musical odyssey, My America 2: Destinations is an acknowledgement of some of the American towns, cities and landmarks that are dear to his heart and all performed uniquely and often in a quirky way.
Chicago brings to mind Billy May's Sorta-Dixie from way back in the day when vinyl was 10" diameter.
By the Time I Get to Phoenix is played fairly straight with tuba, trumpet and piano to the fore.
Kansas City merges a song from Oklahoma (Every Thing's up to Date in Kansas City) with the r and b classic - Kansas City.
New York State of Mind has Cunliffe playing melodica with Self blowing fluba, an instrument he invented that combines flugehorn and tuba and has quite a mellow sound. More info here.
King of Route 66. No need to reveal which two songs go into this one - you can probably guess!
Blue Bayou Bossa. Here's a clue: Roy Orbison meets Kenny Dorham. Nice solo from Stout but it's all a bit bland albeit very cleverly done.
I Love L A features another obscure instrument the cymbasso.
Back Home Again in Indiana is an orchestrated version of Dave Brubeck's recording and is a fairly straight ahead swinger.
Chattanooga Choo Choo is given the boogie woogie eight to the bar treatment. Tuba, alto and piano capture the mood to perfection.
I Left my Heart in San Francisco features trumpet, cor anglais, tuba and piano and, although performed beautifully, won't have Tony Bennett fans looking for a trade-in.
Washington Post Modern is a hoot! Taking John Phillip Sousa's march and putting it through its paces in a variety of tempos - not for the parade ground!
Georgia on my Mind: A duet for tuba and piano that is as mellifluous as you'll ever get from which ever tuba Self used. Cunliffe's accompaniment adds more sensitivity.
S.L.O Blues relates to the California city of San Luis Obispo (pop. 47,063) where Self has a holiday home. It's an original composition of his which is quite rocky in places - perhaps relating to the coastline. Some wailing guitar as well as the inevitable tuba. The recording ends, as do all of his albums with the 'world-famous' howls of Stanley, his dearly departed basset hound.
I rarely do track by track album reviews but each one of these thirteen are so unique it would be impossible to bypass any one of them.
The release date is confusing. One page of the blurb says Oct. 28, 2022 whilst on another page it's Jan. 6, 2023! Whatever, it's worth checking out. Lance
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