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The Curt Sheller Trio: Midnight At The Jazz Cafe

By Michael P. Gladstone
August 25, 2004
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Jazz guitarist Curt Sheller is an instuctor/musician who hails from Pottstown, Pennsylvania and performs in the greater Philadelphia area. On his first album he has provided thirteen tracks that consist of largely the Great American Songbook and jazz standards plus two originals and one composition from his mentor, Chuck Anderson.

Let's give some credit to Curt Sheller for having the sense to select ten songs that are fine examples of musical architecture of the Twentieth Century. It would be hard, in a mainstream setting, to mangle any of these tunes, and in the format of the Curt Sheller Trio, he fully succeeds. From a standpoint of categorization, the album could be placed in a "dinner jazz" setting, either by listening to the CD or imagining the trio performing live in a restaurant environment.

The pleasure of basking in the aural presentation of such songs as "When Sunny Gets Blue," "Black Orpheus" and "There Will Never Be Another You" is the melody itself and one is reminded of the countless times that these tunes have been heard without tiring of them. Sheller's originals, "Kelle Belle" (for his daughter) and "Midnight Cafe," are decent enough to not stand apart from the other tracks.

Track Listing

There Will Never Be Another You, Black Orpheus, My Favorite Things, When Sunny Gets Blue, Milestones, The Shadow of Your Smile, Wave, Woman Child, Autumn Leaves, Kelle Belle, So What, Cute, Midnight Cafe.

Personnel

Curt Sheller, guitar; Daoud Shaw, drums; Steve Beskrone, bass.

Album information

Title: Midnight At The Jazz Cafe | Year Released: 2004 | Record Label: Curt Sheller

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