For The Record

Grand Marquis
One More Day

Personnel: Bryan Redmond, lead vocals, soprano, alto, tenor and baritone saxophones; Chad Boydston, trumpet; Sammy Nicolier, acoustic and electric guitars; Ben Ruth, upright bass, backing vocals, banjo; Lisa McKenzie, drums, washboard, marimba, backing vocals

Tracks: Safronia B, Is You Is or Is You Ain't My Baby, One More Day, Minor Swing, Kissing a Bottle, Mystery Train, Harlem Nocturne, Jump Back Honey, So Far Away, Dark Eyes, Careless Love, Minnie the Moocher, Come Rain or Come Shine, Evenin', The Mooche.

Recorded at Westend Studios, Kansas City . Recording Engineering and Mastering: Duane Trower.

Jump. Jive. Wail. You'll do all on this release. You won't get a chance to refuse. Your muscles will start to twitch. Your foot will tap. Then you'll start to get an itch. An itch to stand up. When you do, your hips will start to bounce. What's the deal, daddy-o? You got a fever, right? Nah, the fix ain't more cowbell, it's more Grand Marquis. You're in luck. Their newest release, One More Day , has hit the shelves and it's filled with more jazz, blues, rockabilly, old country swing than you can shake a stick at.

Real quick, if you aren't familiar with Grand Marquis, let's take a look at these cats. Grand Marquis started out as a quartet, over the years a couple of people came and went, they grew to a quintet and a few hip hot releases came out. Three releases later, a washboard, a marimba and a 30-city nationwide tour under their belt and here we are: Bryan Redmond, Chad Boydston, Sammy Nicolier, Ben Ruth and Lisa McKenzie.

Only a couple of the tracks ("One More Day", "Kissing a Bottle" and "So Far Away" along with the lyrics to "Dark Eyes") are original compositions by Redmond and Grand Marquis. Each of these hit the mark. If Grand Marquis continues to play these songs at their concerts then these are sure to fall in line with the classics they cover on One More Day .

Coming into this review I took a look at the track listings and saw a handful of personal favorites, crossing genres. I saw tunes such as the jazz standard "Is You Is or Is You Ain't My Baby" from Louis Jordan and Bill Austin, Elvis Presley's rockabilly standard "Mystery Train", Earle Hagen's sultry "Harlem Nocturne", Cab Calloway's famed "Minnie the Moocher" and the Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer standard "Come Rain or Come Shine". My first thought when I see so many of my faves on one album is one of reservation. But it passed. This is Grand Marquis brother! Each one not only was a great play on each tune but they gave each their own personal touch.

While either not as familiar or not as fond of some of the other tracks on the  release, I would normally have skipped past these tracks if it was a random CD. But, this is a review so I toughed it out, right? Didn't need to. The rest of the tracks were great! I was captivated by Grand Marquis' sound on the tunes "Minor Swing", "Jump Back Honey", "Careless Love", "Evenin'" and "The Mooche".

Grand Marquis is great for any crowd. Love jazz, love rockabilly, rock and roll, blues? You name it, you'll find it with Grand Marquis. They capture the essence of the classics but they also infuse a new energy for a new generation of listeners. It's been said that Grand Marquis sounds like beer-soaked floors, a stiff drink and a barroom brawl. Good old down and dirty juke joint jazz. Make it a double.

— Tristan Smith

Joe Cartwright

Joe Cartwright Presents The Best of Kansas City Jazz Volume 2

Lafayette Music 1990

Personnel: Wayne Goins, guitar (1); Duck Warner, vocals (2 and 8); Kim Park, alto sax (3) and flute (6), Mike Metheny, flugelhorn (4), Pamela Baskin-Watson, vocals (5), Ahmad Alaadeen, soprano sax (7), Danny Embrey, guitar (5 and 9), Joe Cartwright, piano (all) and synth bass (2 and 8), Gerald Spaits, bass (1, 3, 5, 6, 7, 9), Tyrone Clark, bass (4), Tom DeMasters, guitar (2 and 8), Ray DeMarchi, drums (1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8), Tommy Ruskin, drums (5 and 9)

Tracks: Bluesville, You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To, September Song, Angel Eyes, I've Grown Accustomed To Your Face, Emily, Delilah, Moody's Mood For Love, Without a Song

Recorded at the Oak Bar in the InterContinental Hotel and Jardine's Restaurant and Jazz Club. Location engineer and mixing: Chris Crabtree. Mastering: Craig Rettmer, CR Sound. Produced by Joe Cartwright. Executive Producers: Henry and Carolyn Rankin and Merle Stalder.

When Joe Cartwright told me he was releasing a CD of his Best of Kansas City series, he said that the hardest part about it was selecting the tracks. He knew then that he had a couple of discs worth of material and hinted that there could be a Volume 2. Sure enough, he did have plenty of material, and Volume 2 was released at the end of 2007.

The series started out as a special Sunday evening feature at the Oak Bar, then moved to Thursday nights, before transitioning to a monthly Thursday at Jardine's a couple of years ago. The format hardly changed: Joe's long-time trio with Gerald Spaits and Ray DeMarchi hosting a guest soloist. The formula is the same here with a couple of exceptions where Tommy Ruskin played drums and Tyrone Clark or Cartwright (with a synthesizer) took over the bass.

The proceedings start with a groover by Sonny “Red” Kyner, “Bluesville”, featuring Dr. Wayne Goins. Goins shows how to swing a blues, climaxes with some Wes Montgomery octaves, and he has the full force of the Cartwright trio to help out. Ray DeMarchi catches the fire and keeps the excitement going through a fine turn from Joe. Gerald Spaits' bass solo is no less swinging, and band and DeMarchi exchange a few choruses of fours before the descending solo line returns. This is a great example of what the Cartwright trio – and Goins – reliably do every time out.

Duck Warner has been a Cartwright regular for a few years now, and he is showcased twice here. On “You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To”, his scat chops are on display, while “Moody's Mood” gives him a ballad feature. Duck has one of the warmest voices on the planet. Tom DeMasters is the guitarist on the Warner tracks, and has a fine solo on the latter cut.

Kim Park is also on two tracks. “September Song” is a rocker, with Park's wailing alto right out of Hank Crawford, and Cartwright feeling bluesy, too. There might be a few backbeats from DeMarchi in there as well. Pass the gravy, please. “Emily” couldn't be more of a contrast, a jazz waltz, taken quicker than at a ballad tempo, and one of Johnny Mandel's most memorable (and beautiful) melodies. Park plays flute here… the tune is made for the flute. Cartwright, Park, and Spaits each solo on this track.

Ahmad Alaadeen has a fuller sound than most on soprano sax, and the soprano fits very well on “Delilah”, with its Middle East feel (it worked well with Clifford Brown's muted trumpet, too, remember?). The Gerald Spaits bass line won't let go, either. Nor does the steady brush-on-cymbal beat and mallet accents from Ray DeMarchi. It's all mysterious and beautiful.

Mike Metheny really understands the mood of “Angel Eyes”, the great song of a love lost. It's a serious song. The flugelhorn in Metheny's hand is an expressive instrument. Cartwright can nail ballads, too, as is evident from his solo and sensitive support.

Pamela Baskin-Watson takes “I've Grown Accustomed To Your Face” as an up-tempo bossa nova; might as well when bossa master Danny Embrey is on the stand with you. I like the way she plays with the melody just a little, enough to give this treatment a lift. Not that it needs much help, as the rhythm is a ready catalyst, courtesy of the Embrey/Cartwright/Spaits/Ruskin team. Check out Danny's lines on the fade. The same band without Pamela is back on “Without a Song”, and is Danny's real feature. Ruskin has a nice release on the bridge in the melody statement, a hint of the straight 4/4 to come in Embrey's solo. Then, hear how Master Tommy carves up the rhythm later in the solo? Then how he switches to a different cymbal and gets an entirely different sound for Joe's solo? And there he is again, on the high hat behind Gerald Spaits' melodic solo, and still carving up the rhythm? And then there he is when they come back to the top with some nice snare work. All is wonderful here, another one for the highlight film, but really listen to Tommy. Ladies and gentlemen, on drums we have the Master, Tommy Ruskin!

But that's the whole point of the release (as was Volume 1), to bring us the Best of Kansas City.

I haven't inquired, but my sense is that selecting what to include in Volume 2 was just as trying as with Volume 1. Enough for a third volume? I would not be surprised.

- Roger Atkinson

Alice Jenkins
Almost Christmas
BRC Audio Productions

Personnel: Alice Jenkins, piano and vocals; Mike Thompson, drums; Carl Fusaro / Diana Crain, bass; Frances Robinson, violin; Gene Hall, Jr., guitar; Frances Robinson / Stacey Knoell / Carole Morris / Henry Miller / David Allen / Shan Derritt , background vocals

Tracks: The Devil's Invite, Inspired By May, Across The Room, I'll Be Home For Christmas, The Envelope, Children Go Where I Send Thee, Mary Did You Know, I Had A Talk With My Man, Take Me To Trio, God's A Lover, Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas

Producers: Bill Crain and Alice Jenkins

This CD is aptly named. Although it does have some traditional Christmas songs such as “I'll Be Home For Christmas” and “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas”, it has some, what I would call, “novelty” tracks, some romantic tracks and some religiously oriented tracks. Six of the eleven cuts are originals written by Alice . This is not a jazz CD. It is a potpourri of songs, many of which have a message that Alice selected to show her diverse musical interests and capabilities. There's some blues, some rockin', some soul and more.

“The Devil's Invite” tells of Alice 's refusal to accept the devil's invitation for her to play piano in his band. “Inspired By May” is a collection of the inspirations that Alice feels from the freshness of the spring month of May. Both “Across The Room” and “I Had A Talk With My Man” are love songs. In the first, there is the wondering of what the glance of a man across the room may possibly grow into. In the second, it is the nurturing and solidifying of an existing love.

“The Envelope”, “Children Go Where I Send Thee”, “Mary Did You Know” and “God's A Lover” are, essentially, religious songs with poignant messages. And then there's “Take Me To Trio”, a tribute to Café Trio in Kansas City where Alice delights the folks on Fridays and Saturdays with her piano and vocals.

This is an easy listening CD. Alice 's soothing voice and piano work, backed up with the instrumentation and background vocals, takes you through a variety of listening experiences.

-- Ed Fenner, KC JAZZ VOICE, LLC

RETURN TO FEBRUARY/MARCH 2008 MAIN INDEX