Milt Jackson
Statements
This is an album that you can safely let your toddler play with. There are no sharp edges, no jagged bits, nothing that might cut their delicate little selfs. You can safely listen to this record all day long and never have to worry about those pesky moments you sometimes get in music where you are drawn in, those bars that cause you to back the needle up a couple of millimeters worth of grooves to hear it again. Without worry, you can cue this up, put it on repeat, and never have to think about the music again at your next cocktail party. Your only job will be to keep the gin martinis dry.
What don't I like about this record? Very little, but my one complaint is quite significant. There is nothing on this album that makes any serious contribution to jazz as an art form. It is decent jazz. It is well-performed by a pretty solid group of musicians - nobody real famous or notable, but still professionals, not amateurs. The tracks were selected with intelligence. The production team stayed out of the way. (Not a small point considering it was Bob Thiele.)
I have to stop short of calling this ear candy, but...
I have to be fair, maybe it is due to the limitations of the vibraphone, being such a relaxed instrument in the hands of most jazz musicians.
Maybe it was Milt Jackson himself. Maybe he is just too mellow and didn't want to push it. Just do an album everyone can be comfortable with.
There is nothing wrong with this recording. It is great background music. No one will have their train of thought interrupted by this thing. You can safely play it without worry about your conversation being sidetracked by a witty run from Milt or any of the other soloists.
And that is why I have little to write about this record. There isn't much to say about it.
Saturday, September 11, 2010
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