(Willie Nelson, vocals & guitar; Wynton Marsalis, vocals & trumpet; Walter Blanding, sax; Mickey Raphael, harmonica; Dan Nimmer, piano; Carlos Henriquez, bass; Ali Jackson, drums)
Well, who would have thought of this combination? Not me, but it’s the most enjoyable Willie Nelson album I’ve heard since his “Stardust” of many years ago. Recorded in front of a live crowd at one of the jazz rooms in Lincoln Center in NYC, the ten tracks are mostly Nelson vocals accompanied by Marsalis’ quintet, with Wynton taking some trumpet solos here and there. But Marsalis does come in with some vocals on a couple tracks, including the longest track on the disc: Ain’t Nobody’s Business.
The closing track – That’s All – has everyone cutting loose for some serious uptempo music-making, and the crowd goes nuts. Pianist Nimmer has a burning solo about halfway thru. Sonics are good, and while the CD won’t set the jazz, pop or country worlds on their ears, the whole effort is most listenable.
TrackList: Bright Lights Big City, Night Life, Caldonia, Stardust, Basin Street Blues, Georgia on my Mind, Rainy Day Blues, By Bucket’s Got a Hole in It, Ain’t Nobody’s Business, That’s All
– John Henry
