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Mike Jones Trio: Roaring
ByWhile every track on Roaring is tied together through time and age, there's more variation here than you might expect. Quite often it simply comes through the way the tempo and swing feel are chosen and calibrated. On one track these three might be working a cool and hip angle ("Yes Sir, That's My Baby"), on another they might be speeding down the thoroughfare ("I Can't Believe You're In Love With Me"), and on a third they may slowly glide along ("Am I Blue"). All three of those examples swing, but they do so in very different ways. Add to that some other numbers in completely different realmsa reflective solo piano saloon song ("What'll I Do"), a peppy take on the Latin sound from another time ("I'll See You In Cuba")and you have more than enough variety to satisfy the ears.
Jones is a pianist with many gifts, both technical and interpretive in nature, but he never takes to preening through his piano work. He simply enjoys sitting behind the instrument and giving a song a spin. He can prance, pounce, and deliver a blinding flurry across the keys as well as anyone, but he's not using artifice as a sales tool. He's playing music, and he's just as likely to charm with a small gesture as he is to impress with a grand artistic stroke. Thiroux and Witek, likewise, are all about the sound and the songs. They stand tall and speak for a form of the music that's sorely missed in today's too clever by half jazz atmosphere. While Roaring doesn't represent anything strikingly new or different, it's certainly noteworthy. It perfectly zones in on the spirit of jazz, serving all the while as a strong tribute to a much-loved period.
Track Listing
Yes Sir, That's My Baby; If I Had You; I'll See You In Cuba; Home; Mean To Me; I Found A New Baby; Me And My Shadow; What'll I Do; I Can't Believe You're In Love With Me; Am I Blue.
Personnel
Mike Jones
pianoMike Jones: piano; Katie Thiroux: bass; Matt Witek: drums.
Album information
Title: Roaring | Year Released: 2016 | Record Label: Capri Records
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