Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Jimmy Bruno: Midnight Blue

246

Jimmy Bruno: Midnight Blue

By

View read count
Jimmy Bruno: Midnight Blue
Jimmy Bruno’s new release, Midnight Blue, is his best to date. Bruno’s past releases, though technically flawless, seemed to cater to the jazz elite and did not open the door for the rest. With "Blue Midnight," he not only opens the doors, but he also commands your presence—and won’t let you go until the album ends. Bruno has been a respected professional for many years, but on this new CD he plays like a hungry young lion. He is going to make his mark with this one—-not only with jazz guitar aficionados, but also with music lovers from all genres and spectrums.

With his Philly bandmates, Bruno arrives at a place that embraces the old and the new with mutual respect. He uses a variety of guitar effects like chorus and overdrive. I am a jazz purist and generally don’t like it when jazz guitarists head in this direction, but with Bruno it just sounds natural and makes sense.

Midnight Blue opens with a very unique version of "Secret Love." Bruno uses a slight chorus effect on his guitar, along with a groove that just won’t quit. His next track is the original "Funk 'n Benny" (named after his solid body 7-string guitar, The Benny, made by the legendary luthier Bob Benedetto).

On the third tune, "Hypertension", the trademark Bruno chops rear their head as you think to yourself: "How the hell does he do that!" (In fact, I received a $75 speeding ticket because of this very tune.) I tried to appeal to the Massachusetts State Trooper’s sense of artistry and tell him I was caught up in the new Jimmy Bruno CD and would try to control myself in the future. He stated: "If it’s not Willie (Nelson), I don’t want to hear about it."

The old chestnut "Stella By Starlight" pairs Bruno on his 7-string guitar and Gerald Veasley on his 6-string bass, creating an magically intimate duet. It’s hard to tell where one leaves off and the other begins, so tight is the arrangement.

The album is filled with surprises: wonderful originals, and new adataptions of old standards. The final tune, an Afro/Cuban version of John Coltrane’s "Impressions," energized this piece and gives it an entirely fresh vibe.

The sidemen are wonderful; the tunes are fresh and vibrant; and there is truly a new Jimmy Bruno for the new Millennium.

Websites: Concord Records ; JimmyBruno.com

Track Listing

Secret Love, Funk ?n Benny (Jimmy Bruno), Hypertension (Jimmy Bruno), Shades of Grey (Jimmy Bruno), Into the Blue Light (Ron Kerber), Philly Joe (Gerald Veasley), Midnight Blue (Jimmy Bruno), Fat Tuesday (Ron Kerber), First Dance (Ron Kerber), Perdido, Stella By Starlight, Impressions

Personnel

Jimmy Bruno
guitar

Jimmy Bruno, guitars, Marc Dicciani, drums, Dave Hartl, piano, Fender Rhodes, Hammond B-3 organ, Ron Kerber, tenor & soprano saxophones, Gerald Veasley, six-string electric bass

Album information

Title: Midnight Blue | Year Released: 2001 | Record Label: Concord Music Group

Tags

Comments


PREVIOUS / NEXT




Support All About Jazz

Get the Jazz Near You newsletter 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.

More

Eternal Moments
Yoko Yates
From "The Hellhole"
Marshall Crenshaw
Tramonto
John Taylor

Popular

Old Home/New Home
The Brian Martin Big Band
My Ideal
Sam Dillon
Ecliptic
Shifa شفاء - Rachel Musson, Pat Thomas, Mark Sanders
Lado B Brazilian Project 2
Catina DeLuna & Otmaro Ruíz

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.

Install All About Jazz

iOS Instructions:

To install this app, follow these steps:

All About Jazz would like to send you notifications

Notifications include timely alerts to content of interest, such as articles, reviews, new features, and more. These can be configured in Settings.