The Frank Hailey-Eric Zukoski Trio – An Old Sweet Song – Sea Breeze Jazz

by | Mar 23, 2009 | Jazz CD Reviews | 0 comments

The Frank Hailey-Eric Zukoski Trio – An Old Sweet Song – Sea Breeze Jazz SBJ-3809, 53:53 ***:

(Frank Hailey – piano; Eric Zukoski – upright bass, congas; Michael Hailey – drums)

The idea here is a simple one: Take a well-known song not usually associated with jazz, be it from classical (“Half an Era,” a reworking of the Habanera section of Carmen; “The Danube Blues” – a “Nash-blues” interpretation of the famous Strauss waltz) or popular (“Broke in the Morning,” a redone “Morning Has Broken”; “For Our Folks,” Stephen Foster’s “Old Folks at Home” tweaked) music and give it a new twist.  

Unfortunately, this approach works only about half the time.  For example, turning Hoagy Carmichael’s “Georgia on My Mind” into a bossa nova completely misses the pensive/soulful heart of the song.  And playing “Wave,” the Jobim classic, as a blues swinger makes it sound like a novelty.  “Stormy Weather” rendered as a fast samba fares slightly better, if only because one can at least imagine such a thing as this song referencing a quick afternoon blow in the tropics.  “Midnight at the Oasis,” already tongue-in-cheek, actually benefits from its Latin lounge treatment.  I like the chord substitutions and happy-go-lucky feel of “Broke in the Morning,” and the lightly swinging vibe—with a bit of wistfulness thrown in for good measure—of “For Our Folks.”  But the playfully dour treatment and alternate chords just don’t work on “Eleanor Rigby”; the full-monty Floyd Cramer approach trivializes the Beatles’ classic.

An Old Sweet Song was named one of the ten best instrumental recordings of 2008 by Jazzlines (National Public Radio).  That sounds about right: jazz-lite for the wine and cheese crowd.

TrackList: Shout Out on the Mountain, The Danube Blues, And Left Me Crying, Broke in the Morning, Georgia on My Mind, Wave, One Hundred Ways, Stormy Weather, Midnight at the Oasis, Eleanor Rigby, Half an Era, For Our Folks, Sleigh Ride, My Favorite Kings

– Jan P. Dennis

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