Aubrey Tadman, vocals; Miles Black, piano; Darren Radtke, bass; Bill Coon, guitar; Dave Robbins, drums; Tom Colclough, saxophones and clarinet; Berry Byrne, trumpet; and Tony Chamberlist, percussion
Aubrey Tadman is an Emmy award winning writer who over the years has continued to hone his vocal talents in various venues and this is his debut CD.
Tadman's sultry vocal style is reminiscent of Mel Torme. The opening cut of "You Came A Long Way From St. Louis" is a mild swinger with some nice vocal inflections by Tadman. "Baby Baby All The Time" is slow and mellow with an outstanding trumpet solo. Tadman does a polished take on "I'd Like To Recognize The Tune." "Mountain Greenery" is the highlight with its light swinging melody and Tadman's spirited vocal delivery is right on. On "Rosetta" the instrumental solos are delightful and Tadman does an amiable little scat.
This CD is a pleasant enough venture with interesting moments in the fourteen tracks complemented by skilled backup musicians. There is nothing extraordinarily magical about this effort but it sort of sneaks up on you after a few listens.
by Dorothy L. Hill