Friday, January 31, 2025

Bill May "Bill Mays Sings"


In the brief notes to this collection, Bill Mays explains that over decades of working with many of our prominent singers, he himself has occasionally taken to vocalizing. Anyone who knows anything about jazz pianists is aware that Bill Mays is one of the most versatile and constantly brilliant pianists over a long period of time. Here he accompanies himself on a gathering of songs he has sung at various concerts. From Dave Frishberg's clever “Do You Miss New York” to Irving Berlin's “I Love A Piano”, Mays has a ball with both original lyrics and some additional ones that he contributed. Other tunes include a reimagining of “Have You Met Miss Jones” which becomes “Have You Heard Hank Jones”, “I'm Always Drunk In San Francisco” (check out the last line), the very funny “April In Fairbanks”, plus much loved standards like “Get Out Of Town”, “'Tis Autumn”, and “Let's Call The Whole Thing Off” among others. It was finally time for Bill Mays to do this album and he has done it with charm, humor, and Mays-like creativity. 

No Blooze Music Productions; 2024; times not indicated


Tuesday, January 28, 2025

Ben Paterson; Cookin' In The Cove


On his last couple of recordings Ben Paterson took a hiatus from the piano and turned his attention to the organ. As excellent as those efforts were, I'm glad to inform you that he has returned to the splendid Yamaha or the historic Steinway or whatever piano that makes him so great! With his fully communicative colleagues, Neal Miner on bass and Aaron Seeber on drums, Paterson is superbly on target on a menu of mostly original, sprightly swinging tunes. The rest of the good news is that the trio also shines on much admired fare such as “'Tis Autumn”, “This Here”, and a blues called “Chitlins Con Carne”. Paterson has a beautiful, resonant touch, and every selection portrays him as a distinguished artist. This is a piano jazz trio at its finest. No gimmickry, no excess, just pure piano pleasure. Ben Paterson is the real deal and you'd do yourself a favor by adding this one to your collection.

Cellar Music; 2024; appx. 50 min.


https://benpaterson.bandcamp.com/album/cookin-in-the-couve