Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Doug Wamble: Bluestate

Doug Wamble: Bluestate

By Jim Santella
May 16, 2005
View read count

Based on the blues, Doug Wamble's modern mainstream jazz album combines heartfelt emotion with forward-looking creativity. He's managed to fold the roots of American music and classical music into his guitar presentation, which sparkles with anxiety. Dramatic energy invades each bar. As a vocalist, he's driven by the heart. Wamble's verbalizations, not the most polished, are suited to storytellin' with grit, and they eschew the lyrical beauty that follows most jazz singers throughout their careers.

Wamble emphasizes his powerful guitar imagery throughout the album. While five of the ten tracks on Bluestate feature his vocals, the emphasis remains upon his storytellin' and on the instrumental mix that he achieves with the piano trio. Together, they forge ahead with spirit. "No More Shrubs in Casablanca" represents a progressive jazz guitar fury that's apparently tinged by politics. "Rockin' Jerusalem" and "Washing of the Water" represent the traditional literature. "Stevie Wonder's "Have a Talk with God" moves solemnly with heartfelt charm, while "The Bear and the Toad" toy with country music pickin' and grinnin'.

Bluestate comes from an eclectic session that features four devoted artists. Not even a cameo by Branford Marsalis, however, can elevate their performance beyond the ordinary. By attacking so many directions at once and attempting to leapfrog jazz past its current borders, Wamble's quartet has missed its opportunity to define a centerpiece. His theme seems to rest with scattering seeds to the four winds.

Visit Doug Wamble on the web.

Track Listing

If I Live to See the Day; Washing of the Water; The Homewrecker Hump; Antoine's Pillow Rock; Rockin' Jerusalem; One-Ninin'; No More Shrubs in Casablanca; Have a Talk with God; Gone Away; The Bear and the Toad.

Personnel

Doug Wamble

guitar

Doug Wamble- guitar, vocals; Roy Dunlap- piano; Jeff Hanley- bass; Peter Miles- drums; Branford Marsalis- tenor saxophone on "Rockin' Jerusalem."

Album information

Title: Bluestate | Year Released: 2005 | Record Label: Marsalis Music

PREVIOUS / NEXT

Rump Comp Volume One
< Previous

Marsalis Music: Bluestate and J
Next >

Support All About 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 make 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.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves 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.