Jeremy Monteiro & Alberto Marsico: Jazz-Blues Brothers

You could go a long time without hearing a keyboard and organ duo.

Some may remember an explosive recording featuring Michel Petrucciani and Eddy Louiss, Conference du Presse, recorded live in Paris in 1994. What a treat, hard bop from what might seem an unlikely place. You can find it online.

This is a pretty fair recording too, if not quite Petrucciani and Louiss, who basically swapped inventive choruses. What you have here is a little different Jeremy Monteiro & Alberto Marsico have a vocalist, tenor saxophone, guitar, and drums to help move things along. They are plenty funky and bluesy too. It is an excellent effort, with plenty of originals, and a rather good vocalist from Berkeley, CA. Mizz Dee Longwood. The East Bay, as ever, is a reservoir of talent.

"Opening Act," is what it is, a swinging opener with a nice groove. "Olympia" features Monteiro, and permits the whole band to cook along nicely, especially guitarist Eugene Pao. Mizz Dee Logwood is a fine shouter on "I'd Rather Drink Muddy Water," a live performance. "Mount Olive" inspired by a Baptist Church in Washington, D.C. must be a righteous place, because Marsico's organ playing surely is here. "Lou" at nearly 12 minutes, is the longest track. Titled in honor of Lou Rawls, it is reflective, moody, and meditative, just as Rawls himself could be when he felt like it. It is really a showcase for Shawn Letts' tenor saxophone but Monteiro and Pao get their time too. "Jack-Pot" is a throwback, kind of a nod, maybe to listeners who cut their teeth on Jimmy Smith. "Catastrophy" burns, nicely propelled by drummer Shawn Kelley at around 300 bpm. Mizz Dee makes another appearance on "I'd Rather Go Blind." "Wishy Washy," far from it, takes things out, just to make sure Shawn Letts gets your attention before Monteiro closes.

Soul jazz recorded in Hong Kong, London, and Singapore, mixed and mastered everywhere else. Those who really think globalization makes us worse off, might consider "Jazz-Blues Brothers" first. And think again.