Jeremy Monteiro & Alberto Marsico: Jazz-Blues Brothers

The effervescent Singapore-based pianist Jeremy Monteiro has hooked up with boss Hammond B-3 organist, Italian Alberto Marsico, to create this funky soul / blues album. Although the session previously had a world-wide release (except in North America) in 2014 on Verve Records, three new tracks have been added to the 2021 reissue. Also included are tenor saxophonist Shawn Letts, guitarist Eugene Pao, drummer Shawn Kelley and on two tracks vocalist Miz Dee Logwood.

Feel-good opener "Opening Act," written by Marsico, snaps along in toe-tapping fashion, with each member of the band laying down a marker to show that they were in the game and had come to play. There are a couple of tracks that were recorded live at the Elgar Room at the Royal Albert Hall, London and they feature blues singer Logwood offering her take on the traditional blues "I'd Rather Drink Muddy Water" and "I'd Rather Go Blind." The former is a full-throttle rocking blues that Logwood delivers with rousing confidence. On the second track, Logwood digs deep to bring out the emotional intensity of the number, while Pao runs off some blistering guitar riffs.

Monteiro has an affinity for music that has a funky flavour and two of his compositions here are in that vein, namely "Olympia" and "Mount Olive." On both, the band captures a line that delivers a sonic bath, with Monteiro showing his creative sensibilities on the first number. The second composition is an up- tempo romp with tenor saxophonist Letts swaggering through his improvised lines. The final cut is a number by Marsico entitled "Wishy Washy." Not only is it a tip of the cap to boogaloo, it is an electronic pastiche with Monteiro and Letts situated in Singapore, Kelley in Thailand, Pao in Hong Kong and finally Marsico in Italy. It is none the worse for wear given all its electronic travels.