Customer Reviews

Two Men With The Blues

5 star:		(58)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

In early 2007 two of contemporary American music's greatest icons, jazz trumpeter and composer Wynton Marsalis and country music legend Willie Nelson, teamed up for a couple of unforgettable nights at New York's Lincoln Center.
Both love the blues, and love to play it over-easy, Nelson's vocal staying light and playful.
This album is the souvenir from those evenings. What you don't get is the sight of two aging legends twinkling convivially at each against the night lights of Manhattan, without which the flowering of audience applause around each solo is a little frustrating...
The pair are backed by a crack five-piece band firing on all cylinders - saxophonist Walter Blanding, pianist Dan Nimmer, bass man Carlos Henriquez, harmonica player Mickey Raphael and Ali Jackson on drums.
There are all kinds of blues - downhearted, rude, even goodtime blues. The sort on this recording could be called country blues, because of the presence of Willie Nelson. There are also several party blues, and quite a few pieces, such as "Stardus"t and "Georgia on My Mind", that aren't blues at all.
But the main point is that it's all fun. Nelson, from Texas, and Marsalis, from Louisiana, have no trouble finding common ground. The latter contributes some majestic playing, in the manner of Louis Armstrong. Altogether, as with some of the best blues, this doesn't make you sad, it makes you feel better.
Nelson has always been ready to take on challenges. Here, he turns on the downhome charm, as he joins Marsalis's compact group for a set that has the unpretentious aura of a jam session.
Nelson's vocals on "Stardust" are a touch brighter than Hoagy Carmichael may have intended but the effect is leavened by a smokey, gently twisting trumpet line full of yearning beauty courtesy of Marsalis. Another Nelson standard, "Georgia On My Mind", has a sweet, subdued but compelling intimacy and could legitimately lay claim to the title of ultimate standout track on an album of standout tracks.
Peak of the album: the heady, hard-core blues-ballad rendition of "Night Life", "Caldonia", which swings amiably and "Bright Lights, Big City", which exudes the requisite swagger.
A mandatory buy.
Moment Of Forever
From The Plantation To The Penitentiary

Everyone knew that this summit of master musicians would be special. The session was recently broadcast on National Public Radio's Jazz at Lincoln Center, and as we already have an Amazon video excerpt of the event, we can expect to see the entire meeting on PBS, with DVD as pledge gift. The CD, however, has had the opportunity for further electronic mixing and improvements by Delfeayo Marsalis and Jeff Jones. So what can we say about the quality of the music and the personalities? How many superlatives are there? But you first must be a Willie Nelson fan and you must be a jazz enthusiast who honors Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Jazz folk for their precision and urban sophisticated development of New Orleans roots. Thus if you are among that very large number of music lovers, you must own this recording. Even the insert notes and photos are nicely done. As for the selections, we have Nelson's own oft recorded theme song, Georgia on My Mind, and we also have Stardust, which was included in the album of the same title that demonstrated that Nelson was more than a country singer; indeed that album is his all-time best seller. I, however, enjoyed Rainy Day Blues and the other tunes that follow, which are what the album is supposed to be about: the blues. This album is simply fun. You will love it.

There is a happy medium between Willie and Wynton, and it is on the dusty bayou roads that link these two icons. The delta Blues Sound is unmistakable. Miles Davis once said that he enjoyed listening to Willie Nelson because he had a jazz sense to his music. Wynton Marsalis must have heard this because he has proven that theory is correct. Nonetheless this is enjoyable music, I can't stop listening to this CD. Think Billie Holliday replaced by Willie's Texas twang. Songs like "Basin Street Blues" and "Rainy Day Blues" are awesome.

Joining the 2 Men' are Willie's harmonica player Mickey Raphael, and Wynton's band Walter Blanding on sax, Dan Nimmer on piano, Carlos Henriquez on bass & Ali Jackson on drums.

Buy this CD now! A must have for not only fans of these 2 men, but those who want to further their history of American music!

You can probably figure out what this album might sound like. It's sensible and relatively enjoyable at times, but hardly earth shattering. If you're looking for dinner jazz that might make your guests ask, "Is that Willie Nelson?" This is it.

What a disappointment! Winton Marsallis is a superb musician, a virtuoso without peer who hits all the right notes and has smart charts. But he has no heart. His playing his formal, cold, and uninvolved. I should have expected that. But Willy Nelson? We know he's got heart and soul and humor. But here he appears so fearful of losing his supercool persona that he's just casually phoning in the performance. Willy, there's a difference between subtle understatement, and just barely getting the words out. Reviewers have compared this pairing to the incredible sessions of Louis Armstrong and Jimmy Rodgers 70 years ago-- the ultimate summit where jazz and blues met "country and Western". That unwarranted comparison got my hopes up. But Rodgers and Armstrong had more than musical skill --they had electricity, magic, and heart. Winton, you're no Satchmo and never will be. And WIllie, please try staying awake next time.

I was very much looking forward to receiving this CD so it was disappointing to hear Willie Nelson's "singing." He mostly speaks; his voice is gone. The music is still great. I love all the songs. It's just sad to realize that this great legend is no longer the performer he once was.

I expected a lot more from these two guys - - icons in their respective genres. The recording is just OK - - sounds like a casual jam with stellar musicians. Willie, whom I love to death for his unique style and great body of work over the years, wasn't strong at all on vocals. And, I just didn't sense that the chemistry was really there between them.

Sounded like a decent show for a night out at a club, but not worthy of a permanent recording. Nice try, guys, but it didn't work for me.

Great CD ! Nothing instrumentally or vocally outstanding but it just works. Very easy and pleasant to listen to with both blues and jazz overtones that complement each other beautifully. Love it and would recommend to any blues/jazz fan !

This is a CD you have to work to love. Not that it isn't worth loving. It is. Marsalis plays the trumpet sparingly and with a kind of precision that can sound as much like soul as the blues. Nelson matches the trumpet with his voice--he isn't trying too hard, he's not laying off because of his age, he's entering the song when he has to, when he should, and offering his voice as one of the instruments. It's hard not to like both of these guys. The backing, though, is not something I enjoy. When Marsalis is comped by the saxophonist, I find it annoying. The piano is tinny. I sort of wish they had Marsalis, Nelso, a trumpet, a guitar, a set of drums, and that's it. Caldonia is my favorite on the whole album. It's a kind of set-your-feet-back and think of times when New Orleans wasn't forsaken tune. Make no mistake, there is mourning here. That's what drives the blues of this album. It is of a piece with NOLA by Connick and other albums from those who call that unfairly besmirched city home. Thanks for this album, guys. I hope it motivates people to do right by others.

Really love Wllie Nelson--these 2 aren't good together--this CD is more Dixie land--if you're expecting the Blues--you will be disappointed