I'm getting sentimental over you; Route 66; I Should Care; Makin' Whoopee; Destination Moon; Do Nothing Till You Hear From Me; If She Walked Into My Life; Take The A Train; This Can't Be Love; Star Trek; What's New; A Touch Of Blues; All The Things You Are (65.31)
Frank Jackson, piano,vocals; Dave Kingsnorth, bass; Brian Kane, guitar San Francisco 2002
This is music that is easy on the ear, which may delude the listener into thinking that it is fairly simply produced. On the contrary it is necessary for the musicians to relax and underplay their hand in a similar way to Nat "King" Cole with his original trio. Frank's piano playing and singing do not reach the high level created by Nat fifty years ago but for all that Frank has a pleasant vocal delivery and his piano playing is pretty good.
The sum total of this recording is a stylish pianist, a bassist who provides the right rhythmic impetus and a guitarist with a line of improvisation that invariably starts with a bent note that I really dig.. Add to this that lived in voice of Frank and you might find this group holding down a gig in "Rick's Café" in the film "Casablanca."
This is an entertaining "cocktail" trio that would make any dinner party go with a swing.
by Al Merritt
Jazz Now Interactive September 2004 Vol 14 No. 5 - Table of Contents
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