By Ric Bang
Buy CD: Roaring
The
two most important prerequisites for jazz are 1) it’s got to swing; and 2) it
should to be fun to make and hear. This album accomplishes both.
You’ve
heard pianist Mike Jones before, if you follow the magic team of Penn &
Teller; Jones is their show’s opening act. Bassist/vocalist Katie Thiroux was a
semifinalist in the 2015 Thelonious
Monk Jazz Competition. She recently released an album that received a
rave review here. Drummer Matt Witek, a Berklee College of Music grad,
frequently works with Thiroux and luminaries such as Les Fuller and Ken
Peplowski.
The
rhythm section Jones’ trio creates is a true groove: one of the best I’ve heard
in a long time.
This
release features 10 compositions from the 1920s (thus the album title). Many likely
won’t be familiar to today’s fans, but were big hits during that time period,
and still can bring a smile to senior citizens. The tunes swing wonderfully,
and the trio obviously had a ball recording them.
Although
Jones and his trio mates hadn’t ever played together, they nonetheless were
able to complete this session in less than four hours. Further, only one take
was required for each tune. I enjoyed all of them, but my favorite is the
opener, “Yes Sir, That’s My Baby”; my feet were stomping, and my fingers snapping,
during every bar.
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