Frank Macchia – Folk Songs for Jazzers – Cacophony, Inc.

by | Jun 8, 2010 | Jazz CD Reviews | 0 comments

Frank Macchia – Folk Songs for Jazzers – Cacophony, Inc. FMC 516, 1 hour 18 minutes ***:

(Frank Macchia – tenor sax, piccolo, flutes, clarinets / Sal Lozano – alto sax, piccolo, flutes, bass clarinet / Bob Sheppard – sax, flutes, clarinets /Jay Mason – sax, piccolo, flutes, clarinets, English horn /Wayne Bergeron – trumpet, flugelhorn / Alex Iles – trombone, baritone horn, tuba / Kevin Porter – trombones, baritone horn, tuba /Bill Reichenbach – trombones, baritone horn, tuba / Tom Ranier – acoustic piano, electric piano / Grant Geissman – electric guitar , banjo /Trey Henry – acoustic and electric bass / Perry Erskine – drums, motivation /Ray Frisby – vibraphone, bongos, tambourine, shaker and spoons/ Special guest vocals by Tierney Sutton and Ellis Hall)

Folk Songs For Jazzers is a kid-friendly mix of classic folk songs performed by a wonderfully talented mix of life long jazzheads.  It starts off with a very New Orleans-flavored I’ve Been Working On the Railroad but quickly falls off the tracks with the slowest version of Red River Valley I have ever heard.  The tempo jumps back up with Skip to My Lou; the flute solos are pretty impressive on this track.  

It was difficult to listen to this CD without my kids.  Folk Songs for Jazzers became much more enjoyable when I played it for them and found the joy they got out of this music.   They danced around with each other, bounced up and down to the beat and even knew some of the words to a few of the tracks.  I recommend the CD to any kindergarten or pre-school teacher that needs something a little different to help the children get some of their wiggles out.  

Over an hour’s worth of classics including Polly Wolly Doodle, On Top of Old Smokey and Kumbaya in a way you’ve probably not heard them before.  The album is a great mix of classic kid/folk songs but the tempo of the album from track to track is a little unnerving.  The flow and order of the songs could have been arranged in a different way that would help the listener go from wanting to tap their foot through the floor from falling asleep on it.    

TrackList:
1. I’ve Been Working on the Railroad
2. Red River Valley
3. Skip to My Lou
4. Oh, Suzanna
5. Did You Ever See A Lassie?
6. Polly Wolly Doodle
7. Tom Dooley
8. The Arkansas Traveller
9. Amazing Grace
10. The Erie Canal
11. Hush, Little Baby
12. The Blue Tail Fly
13. Kumbaya
14. On Top of Old Smokey

— Paul Pelon IV

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