Customer Reviews

Jazz Play

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Quick: Name a jazz harp player... any jazz harp player.

Stumped? Perhaps you came up with Alice Coltrane. If you're really hip, you might even know about Dorothy Ashby.

Now you can add Carol Robbins (who actually studied with Ashby) to this very short list. It's tempting to call her the "Bill Evans of the jazz harp" -- and so I just did. And this is a good thing.

Joined in various combinations by guitarist Larry Koonse, reedman Bob Sheppard, drummer Tim Pleasant, Derek Oles on bass, and Steve Huffsteter on trumpet and flugelhorn, Ms. Robbins has crafted a charming and enjoyable "ballads and bossas" outing here, with a more-or-less equal balance of standards and original tunes.

Jazz Play is elegant, classy, and seductive "dinner jazz" mood music that also rewards dedicated listening. If you're not already hip to the rare and unlikely beauty of the jazz harp, Carol Robbins will make you a believer.

For many people, JAZZ PLAY will be their

introduction to the finely attuned artistry

of harpist Carol Robbins. For those familiar

with this Music, the fact that Robbins was

an acolyte of acclaimed harp pioneer Dorothy

Ashby should be enough to make one highly

interested. For anyone with a thirsty ear,

this album from the Jazzcats label will be

a very welcome addition to any library,

regardless of individual

preference.

JAZZ PLAY is a stunning collection of

originals and standards treated with

consummate taste and daring; handled

with a poise which eases highly

intricate harmonics into a listener's

soul with smiling warmth. With all

the swing that one could want, the

subtle dance of Robbins' presentation

makes the work of JAZZ PLAY all the

more compelling.

That Robbins is a master of her

instrument becomes very clear very

quick. Her overall ability to highlight

the group effort, then, is as exemplary

as her frequent bravura outpourings

throughout the album. With an

instrumentation of brass, reed, guitar,

bass and drums, Robbins' harp provides

the nexus point for a refreshingly

fluid sound which reminds us that

genuine Jazz -at its most mellow- is

full of spirit and fire.

With an itinerary which runs from Bobby

Troup and Antonio Carlos Jobim to John

Lewis, Jerome Kern and more, JAZZ PLAY

is a reflective, often haunting voyage

of mystery and delight. Full of mastery

and aesthetic pedigree, it is the set's

winning joie de vivre which makes JAZZ

PLAY such an attractive presentation

for all listeners.

Serious play, indeed.

Wonderful musicians with great material equal a great jazz cd. Her original ballad Emilia played by the incredible Bob Sheppard is well worth the price of the CD. Check out the swinging version of I Am Old Fashion. I keep this cd in my car to calm my nerves in traffic

The lineup of players here can't be beat, with Carol on harp, Larry Koonse-gtr, Bob Shepherd-saxes, Steve Huffstetter-horns, Darek Oles-bs, Tim Pleasant-dr. These great players do not all play on each tune but each get a few shots to shine. My favorite is "The Meaning of the Blues" with Carol and Larry providing a haunting feeling with this beautiful number. I'm no jazz critic, but this is the kind of music that touches your heart, and your soul, and makes for repeated listening pleasure. This latest CD and Carol's earlier "Three Plus Four" are the best finds I've had in the last year.

This is a beautifully rendered album. I first heard Carol Robbins on a local jazz radio station when they played the track "Still Night" from this album. I love the gentle interplay between her harp and the performances of the guest musicians on this album.