Many improvisers would agree that having the feeling of the
blues is a crucial part of
jazz expression; however, the
jazz and
blues worlds don't interact nearly as often as they should. There are
jazz musicians who will play
Miles Davis'
"All Blues" or
Charlie Parker's
"Parker's Mood" on a regular basis but wouldn't know
John Lee Hooker from
Little Milton; there are
blues artists who are much more likely to work with a
rock musician than a
jazz musician. So it is a rare treat to hear a
blues-oriented guitarist and a
jazz-oriented guitarist co-leading a session, which is exactly what happens on
More Conversations in Swing Guitar. This 2003 release is a sequel to bluesman
Duke Robillard and jazzman
Herb Ellis' 1999 encounter
Conversations in Swing Guitar, and the CD proves that good things can happen when
jazz and
blues players interact.
More Conversations in Swing Guitar is an album of very
blues-minded instrumental
jazz -- it's hardly a carbon copy of
Robillard's work with
the Fabulous Thunderbirds, but the bluesman has no problem appearing in a
jazz-oriented setting. Despite their different backgrounds and age differences --
Robillard was born in 1948,
Ellis in 1921 -- the two guitarists have no problem finding common ground, and they enjoy a strong rapport on three
Robillard originals (
"Blues for Terry," "End of Session Jump," and
"Train to Texas") as well as
Benny Moten's
"Moten Swing" and
Sir Charles Thompson's
"Robbin's Nest." Few surprises occur, but the guitarists always sound inspired and enthusiastic on this solid, if somewhat predictable, outing. ~ Alex Henderson
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