Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Michael Lampert: Blue Gardenia

Michael Lampert: Blue Gardenia

By Stephen Latessa
August 3, 2005
Sign in to view read count

When you think of lead instruments in jazz, the electric mandolin probably doesn't spring to mind. However, if all its practitioners could match the dexterity and achieve the same feel as Michael Lampert, perhaps that would change. In Lampert's hands, the instrument sounds nothing like what fans of bluegrass would expect. Instead, it sounds closer to a guitar. While listening to Blue Gardenia, I subconsciously began to believe that the music was created by a six-string.

However, putting aside the issue of instrumentation, it should be said that Lampert and his quartet play strong, straightforward jazz with the blues an ever-present force. Their take on Fats Domino's immortal "I'm Walking is rollicking and infectious, with spry piano work from Vern Waldron and jumping drums from Jeff Fish. Lampert checks in with a brief but insistent solo before yielding to bassist Timothy Emmons. At the other end of the spectrum is the lovely and delicate title track. Waldron and Lampert seem to complete each other's thoughts, while Emmons stands out by virtue of expertly keeping time and still being delightfully unpredictable and melodic.

One of the true joys of jazz is to hear musicians explore their instruments and reveal new possibilities. Blue Gardenia provides the pleasure of hearing the electric mandolin played with imagination and great skill. Even better is the fact that the album is much more than just a technical exercise. It showcases musicians playing with more than enough feeling to match their instrumental prowess.

Visit Michael Lampert on the web.

Track Listing

Get Out Of Town; Summer Samba; La-Dee-Da; Animation; Blue Gardenia; I'm Walkin'; Laura; East Of The Sun

Personnel

Michael Lampert

mandolin

Michael Lampert: electric mandolin; Vern Waldron: piano; Jeff Fish: drums and percussion; Timothy Emmons: acoustic bass; Tom Bethke: nylon: string guitar (tracks 2, 8).

Album information

Title: Blue Gardenia | Year Released: 2005 | Record Label: Sojourner

< Previous
Give Me The Simple Life

Next >
Unrepeatable Life

Comments

About Michael Lampert

Instrument: Mandolin

Tags

For the Love of Jazz

All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who create it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

You Can Help

To expand our coverage even further and develop new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for a modest $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination will vastly improve your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.