Customer Reviews

Jazz Thing

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

rb has really done a fantastic job on this cd, a labor of love for him.

as a rocker guy, i was not too sure if i could like this cd. "looking out for #1" from the "head on" lp many years ago never was a favorite tune. frankly, that is what i was expecting. i expected to hate it. but the guitar work here is excellent, as is the rythem section, and the vocals are nice and mellow, fit the music.

for a rocker like myself to find worth in this cd, should be a signal to any jazz buffs out there. this is a first rate cd. from the opening tune, to the last, a pleasureable introduction to another form of music by a very, very verstile, and under rated man, randy bachman.

shame on the usa record companies once again, for not releasing this in the usa. it goes to show why the industry is in the state it is in. if a rocker type of guy can enjoy this, than all you jazz buffs out there need to try it out.

Randy Bachman always had an appreciation for jazz and it showed up in some of his compositions with the Rock bands he was a member of: The Guess Who (Undun, A Wednesday in your Garden) and with Bachman-Turner Overdrive (Lookin' Out For #1).

His interest in jazz is more than just in passing and you can hear how deeply Randy was influenced by one of his first teachers, jazz-great Lenny Breau.

Most of the tracks are originals and were written in the style of 40's & 50's jazz standards. The recording quality is first -rate as well as the musicianship.

By his own admission, Randy does not consider himself to be a strong vocalist, and the vocals are pretty laid back, but there is an appealing and honest quality to his voice that suits many of the songs. Think of Chet Baker singing and you will get the idea. I would like to hear Norah Jones, Bonnie Raitt, or Diana Krall cover some of these songs.

Standout tracks include Sentimental Fool, Breau's Place, and Our Leaves Are Green Again.

This is a pretty ambitious and honest first effort and one can hope that Randy will build on this and give us a Jazz Thing II.

Jazz superb! Proof of a most versatile and extremely accomplished musician!
I think jazz fans and Randy Bachman fans would both enjoy this. I'm both, and I did!

Though there are many types of jazz and Randy sure has enough experience to handle the majority except perhaps progressive/fusion, this CD falls into jazz-schmaltz. His voice is weak and melodies are nothing like Blue Collar or Lookin' Out For Number One as a fan seeking that latinesque-jazz BTO sound. (OK except perhaps the tracks "Dead Cool" and "Breau's Place") but the majority of the lyrics are so silly it's hard to listen to). So here we are desperately seeking at least one decent track & we fall upon "I Walk The Line" (not the Johnny Cash track), the music is non schmaltz and quite lofty but his voice impales the enjoyment factor. This could have easily served as a fine instrumental (as well as another track 'The First Time..)had he stifled himself. Sorry Randy but if ya can't sing anymore then play the guitar and hire someone else or make instrumentals. And please do us all a favor and put an end to the trite lyrics. My writing skills at age fifteen were better than this. "Breau's Place" & "I Walk The Line" saves the CD from being a complete throw away.

Randy Bachman's first jazz outing will probably satisfy fans of Diana Krall or Norah Jones, but should be avoided by most jazz aficionados. There's not much improvisation to speak of, and Bachman's vocals range from passable to unlistenable. Some of the tunes are actually quite nice (Our Leaves Are Green Again), but others fall into the usual trap encountered by jazz-dabblers of being songs about jazz rather than actual jazz (Breau's Place). Nice Johnny Cash cover, though (I Walk the Line).