Bill Coon: Standard Elegance

Guitarist Bill Coon's Standard Elegance stands as a finely crafted tribute to the timeless appeal of well-made melodies and the skilled artistry needed to refresh them without losing their essence. True to the tradition of great solo jazz guitar recordings, the album finds Coon exploring familiar territory while conveying a deeply personal sense of phrasing, touch, and warm reflection. Whether he chooses his archtop electric or nylon-string instrument, Coon approaches each selection with the restraint and clarity of a musician who knows that standards flourish most when treated with respect and imagination in equal measure.

Coon begins the recital with two Jerome Kern pieces: "All the Things You Are" and "Yesterdays." On the former, he delivers a performance that highlights the tune's elegant structure. His harmonic substitutions stay true to the original flow, yet add graceful tension that brings the melody to life. On the latter, he leans into the number's minor-inflected mood, using shifts in tempo and dynamics to underscore its inward spirit. John Lennon and Paul McCartney's pop hit "And I Love Her" bridges the gap between pop lyricism and jazz sophistication. He maintains the simplicity of the melody while adding gently reharmonized passages that broaden the emotional palette.

"I Cover the Waterfront," the Johnny Green-Edward Heyman gem, offers Coon the chance to craft layers of nuance as he shapes pacing and understated chordal movements that give the piece a late-night, solitary feel. This serves as the ideal introduction to Duke Ellington's "Prelude to a Kiss," where Coon expertly employs voice-leading to highlight the romantic richness of Ellington's composition and to reveal its inner lines with crystalline clarity. Coon's lively side is evident with "East of the Sun," which he frames with a bright, lightly swinging rhythm, enabling the melody to dance freely over his steady accompaniment.

The Romani guitarist Django Reinhardt composed "Nuages," which provides Coon with a lyrical backdrop. His interpretation honours Reinhardt's nostalgic melody while shaping the jazz-manouche nuances into an intimate solo-guitar style, blending respect with personal expression. The closer is the Frankie Laine-Carl T. Fischer tune "We'll Be Together Again." It is delivered with a quiet assurance that honours the ballad's legacy. Coon's version is both an invocation and a fitting tribute to an album firmly grounded in tradition yet keenly alive in the present.

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