Charley Crockett: In The Night (2016)

Leon Bridges, Charley Crockett. Photo by Brittni Jesse.

Charley Crockett has captured a vintage sound for his new CD, In the Night (2016). He travelled to Fort Hort Studios, studio home of the late Nick Curran, and co-produced In the Night with Jay Moeller who plays drums on In the Night and played with Gary Clarke Jr. and The Fabulous Thunderbirds.

In the Night is also the title of the opening song a funky, upbeat piece which features the trumpet of Charles Mills Jr., who guitarist-singer Charley Crockett was playing with for years, starting out on the streets of New Orleans.

That is followed by the bluesy, fast-paced Baby 1-2-3 with some horns, including the saxophone of Jeff Dazey who plays with Leon Bridges.

I’m Working shows off the drumming skills of Jay Moeller and displays the great timing and intricate relationship of Charles Mills Jr. and Charley Crockett. Charley Crockett always says Charles Mills Jr. defines the sound of the band.

What’s Made Milwaukee Famous is an old, fun tune that features Kullen Fox’s boogie-woogie piano and Nathan Fleming’s pedal steel guitar.

Out of Bad Luck, a song originally done by bluesman Magic Sam, to whom Charley Crockett dedicated the CD. Out of Bad Luck features the trumpet echo of Charles Mills Jr. and a nice guitar solo by Alexis Sanchez.

After the Laughter has an hypnotic, vintage sound. After the Laughter and Downtrodden Man features the organ of Matt Ferrell who plays for the Greyhounds and has written songs for the Tedeschi Trucks Band.

Addison Frei: Transit (2016)

Addison Frei, with Tahira Clayton. Photo by KPR.

Addison Frei has put together a varied and well-balanced jazz CD, Transit (Armored Records, 2016), with a touch of classical, a pop and country standard, and a famous guest singer.

Transit opens with Many are the Nights with Addison Frei’s easy piano and his collaborators, Perrin Grace on bass and Matt Young on drums. All of them including Addison Frei are graduates of the University of North Texas jazz studies program.

The song Transit is a tender, slow number featuring the trumpet of Wayne Tucker and the singing of Tahira Clayton. The song was inspired by the New York transit system.

Impromptu Op. 90 No. 3 is recommended for those who don’t understand or don’t ‘get’ classical music. Like other jazz musicians (Wynton Marsalis, Branford Marsalis) who have interpreted classical music, Addison Frei took a stab at this Schubert composition. It is a haunting rendition featuring the violin of Rachel Koblyakov.

Addison Frei invited Manhattan Transfer singer Janis Siegel to be a special guest. She lends her beautiful and elegant voice to the song Know You and holds a back-and-forth conversation with Wayne Tucker’s trumpet.

Addison Frei brings out his inner Duke Ellington with a piano rendition of Good Morning, Heartache.

The album has great variety and stretches the boundaries of the traditional ‘jazz album’. Addison Frei includes the Nat King Cole classic Mona Lisa, and Janis Siegel returns to do a version of Dolly Parton’s Jolene.

Addison Frei continues to turn out serious work. He recently won the prestigious American Jazz Pianist Competition and the UNISA International Jazz Piano Competition in Pretoria, South Africa. This is Addison Frei’s follow-up to Intentions (Armored Records, 2014) and his band AMP Trio’s M(Y)our World (2015).