Doug MacDonald: Live at the Rancho Mirage Library

"Another damn'd thick, square book! Always scribble, scribble, scribble! Eh! Mr. Gibbon?" Well, maybe the Duke of Gloucester did (or did not say it) on the publication ofThe Rise and Fall of The Roman Empire, but something similar comes to mind when Doug McDonald's most recent recording comes to hand. "The SoCal guitarist has been at it for well over a half-century, and his recent (2022) Serenade to Highland Park was, in the words of Los Angeles jazz writer Kirk Silsbee, really an ode to a part of the town known for its "arty affluence."

McDonald is back with another hip recording, this from the iconic Rancho Mirage (California) Library and his working trio. It is yet another gratifying effort that covers and rethinks a wide range of standards, starting with an up-tempo and certainly distinctive version of The Four Freshmen's "It's a Blue World." Do not run screaming from the room with thoughts of old-fashioned, because terrific artists can do something with most material, even the mundane. Tadd Dameron's "Ladybird" is given a Latin treatment. It emerges none the worse for wear, especially with Tim Pleasant's sashaying drum break. "Chitlins Con Carne" is a tune of a similar vintage, covered often, and here with bounce. "If You Could See Me Now," Dameron's lovely 1946 vehicle for Sarah Vaughan, is another standard. "Spanish Eyes." Really? No, you will not be summoning up the ghost of Al Martino, especially after MacDonald's compound quote of "Fascinating Rhythm/Sister Sadie."

Anyone who has been over these tunes a billion times may well find a different direction, which is what MacDonald does throughout the recording. And there is more where that came from. MacDonald may be a bopper at heart, but his tastes and sensibilities range widely.

The thing to remember is that with simply a trio, the essence of the song emerges in a compressed shot, although imaginative decoration, rhythmic and otherwise make well-worn material sound fresh. Pulling the job off convincingly takes a pretty high level of musicianship. McDonald does. A listener may wonder from what venue and with what surprises will Doug McDonald bring forth next time. Another cool recording—neither thick nor square—Mr. McDonald?

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