Jay Danley: Robicheaux

It is possible to leave the hubbub of the big city behind and still maintain a jazz career. For guitarist Jay Danley that meant pulling up roots in Toronto and relocating to Kaslo, a small village with a population of 1000 in British Columbia, where he built his own recording studio and went about crafting Robicheaux, playing (almost) all of the instrumental parts himself.

The title Robicheaux may ring a bell with fans of crime fiction. Detective Dave Robicheaux is the protagonist of twenty-plus crime novels by James Lee Burke, one of Danley's favorite authors, whose writing inspired him to record this album based on the books. Dave Robicheaux is based in New Orleans. Robicheaux, the music, is too—The Big Easy via Kaslo, British Columbia.

"The Lost Get Back Boogie" opens the set. Hard-driving and infectiously danceable, the tune hints at zydeco via Mark Banks' lilting accordion work, with Danley's wailing guitar licks backed by a sassy Bourbon Street horn section. "Black Cherry Blues" is the title of Burke's third Robicheaux novel; the tune rolls out with a smooth organ trio vibe, with Danley laying down a cool flow of crisp notes. "New Orleans Pub Crawl," featuring Jono Grant on Fender Rhodes, glides on a gumbo of percussion—Danley spent a good deal of time playing Afro-Cuban percussion professionally—with Danley's guitar sounding rich and full-bodied; "The Tin Roof Blow Down" displays the guitarist's skills in playing a wee hours ballad.

The closer, "Take The Cornbread Out Of You Mouth" percolates—again, Danley's Afro-Cuban percussion—on an optimistic vibe, closing out Robicheaux with a smile and a smooth glide across the dance floor.