Size: 139,7 MB
Time: 60:35
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2011
Styles: Blues/Jazz
Art: Front
1. Blues Before Sunrise (5:04)
2. No Good Man (3:39)
3. Ain't That Fine (4:14)
4. Going Down Slow (4:43)
5. Since I Fell For You (5:02)
6. I Can't Quit You Babe (5:34)
7. If I Didn't Care (3:49)
8. She Was Just A Name (5:39)
9. Too Darn Rich To Be Happy (3:54)
10. He's Funny That Way (3:36)
11. Stormy Blues (5:06)
12. I'm Ready (4:11)
13. Sitting On Top Of The World (5:59)
Zoe Schwarz is an experienced and highly competent jazz and blues vocalist based in Poole, Dorset. With her husband and guitarist Rob Koral she fronts the all star quintet to be heard on this 2011 33 Records release, an album that concentrates primarily on the couple’s blues leanings with the help of pianist Gareth Williams, bassist Steve Thompson and drummer Paul Robinson. It’s a stellar UK line up and the singing and playing is excellent throughout.
Although now based well away from the hurly burly of London, Schwarz and Koral are musicians with national reputations and perform all over the country at jazz clubs and festivals with the emphasis now on the South West, often as a duo. Gareth Williams is a fiery piano soloist and a band-leader in his own right and Paul Robinson, once of Jeff Clyne’s Turning Point and now of the re-activated Back Door also spent many years as drummer of choice for the great Nina Simone. Bassist Steve Thompson, although perhaps less well known has played with many jazz and blues luminaries making him the ideal choice for this project. He forms a swinging and reliable rhythm section with the excellent Robinson.
In Schwarz’s words “the idea of Blue Commotion was to lean on the blues side of jazz” with the instrumentation and personnel chosen to retain a jazz sensibility and feel as the quintet explore the blues classics of Muddy Waters, Willie Dixon, Leroy Carr and others. There are a clutch of original songs in the blues idiom plus Schwarz’s interpretation of “Stormy Blues” by Billie Holiday, the singer who inspired her in the first place.
“Blue Commotion” is a classy and sophisticated piece of work that benefits from a typically polished 33 Records production. There’s nothing strikingly original here but everybody plays and sings great and every one of these experienced professionals sounds as if they’re having a good time. Blue Commotion is now a band as well as an album and the quintet will be taking to the road later in 2012. /Ian Mann, The Jazz Mann
Although now based well away from the hurly burly of London, Schwarz and Koral are musicians with national reputations and perform all over the country at jazz clubs and festivals with the emphasis now on the South West, often as a duo. Gareth Williams is a fiery piano soloist and a band-leader in his own right and Paul Robinson, once of Jeff Clyne’s Turning Point and now of the re-activated Back Door also spent many years as drummer of choice for the great Nina Simone. Bassist Steve Thompson, although perhaps less well known has played with many jazz and blues luminaries making him the ideal choice for this project. He forms a swinging and reliable rhythm section with the excellent Robinson.
In Schwarz’s words “the idea of Blue Commotion was to lean on the blues side of jazz” with the instrumentation and personnel chosen to retain a jazz sensibility and feel as the quintet explore the blues classics of Muddy Waters, Willie Dixon, Leroy Carr and others. There are a clutch of original songs in the blues idiom plus Schwarz’s interpretation of “Stormy Blues” by Billie Holiday, the singer who inspired her in the first place.
“Blue Commotion” is a classy and sophisticated piece of work that benefits from a typically polished 33 Records production. There’s nothing strikingly original here but everybody plays and sings great and every one of these experienced professionals sounds as if they’re having a good time. Blue Commotion is now a band as well as an album and the quintet will be taking to the road later in 2012. /Ian Mann, The Jazz Mann
Blue Commotion mc
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