Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Chris Standring: Blue Bolero
Chris Standring: Blue Bolero
Chris Standring has never made an album quite like Blue Bolero. Standring could have stayed in a smooth jazz comfort zone of safe and innocuous music. Low risk can mean high reward, but Standring chose to go a different, riskier and far more ambitious route. The result is an album he should be both pleased with and proud of.
Standring doesn't abandon his pop proclivities as much as expand upon them. His guitar playing is fluid and expressive and he's never sounded better or played with more confidence. The term "labor of love" defines Blue Bolero as he plays off against Barbara Porter's robust violin, Dave Karsony's subtly restrained drumming and several other guest musicians providing ample support. What's different is while Standring has always been a professional, he imparts a greater degree of both joy and passion here. He raises the bar from competency to mastery and nails it on each and every minute of Blue Bolero.
The eight-minute 'Overture" that opens the album is a gorgeously lush piece of music as the interplay between Standring's guitar and Porter's violin is dazzling. The album drifts seamlessly between the quiet ("Contemplation"), the busy ("Fast Train to Everywhere"), and the romantic ("Sensual Overload").
There are signature moments in a musician's career when they make an album that both defines them and sets the course for their future. Herbie Hancock had his with Head Hunters (Columbia, 1973), Weather Report reached their summit with Heavy Weather (Columbia, 1977), and George Benson took off with Breezin' (Warner Brothers, 1976). Whether or not Blue Bolero belongs in that kind of distinguished company is a judgment call, but it is the best album Chris Standring has made yet.
(An additional Web page has been created for this release, at www.bluebolero.net.)
Track Listing
Overture; Blue Bolero; Please Mind the Gap; Contemplation; Sensual Overload; Regarding Tetchwick; Fast Train to Everywhere; On Second Thoughts; Sunrise; Bossa Blue; Lost In Angels; March of the Bowler Hats; At the End of the Day; Finale (Bolero Reprise).
Personnel
Chris Standring
guitarChris Standring: keyboards, programming, vocals, guitars; Dave Karsony: drums (1, 9, 11, 13, 14); Rodney Lee: Fender Rhodes solo (1); Larry Steen : acoustic bass (1, 2, 4, 9, 13, 14); Barbara Porter: violin (1-3, 5-7, 9, 11-14); Eric Valentine: drums (3, 12); Andre Berry: bass (3, 12); Katisse Buckingham: alto flute (3); Dewayne 'Smitty' Smith: bass (5); Tim Landers: bass (7); Rico Belled: bass (10); Mitch Forman: Fender Rhodes (12).
Album information
Title: Blue Bolero | Year Released: 2010 | Record Label: Ultimate Vibe
About Chris Standring
Tags
PREVIOUS / NEXT
Chris Standring Concerts
Become a Sustaining Member
Since 1995, All About Jazz has championed jazz as an art form and supported the musicians who create it. Over three decades, it has grown into one of the world's leading jazz resources, serving hundreds of thousands of readers, musicians, presenters and industry professionals each month.
Help Build the Future of All About Jazz
Your support helps us continue building All About Jazz for the next generation—expanding our editorial coverage, preserving jazz history, developing new community features and creating better ways to discover the music and the people behind it.
Become a sustaining member for as little as $20 per year and you'll immediately enjoy an ad-free experience along with access to subscriber features and future articles for a full year.
Together, we're not simply sustaining All About Jazz—we're building its future. Thank you for being part of the journey.
