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This blending of jazz, country, and blues is the one permanent album in my car rotation. Musicianship at its finest.
I enjoy a variety of music. I cando county, but Willie Nelson has alwaysbeen my favorite because my home is Texas.This is great; Winton Marasalis and WillieNelson duo.Linda
Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed it, but maybe I expected Wynton to hit a little harder. This album had me guessing what would be heard before I bought it.I am well versed in New Orleans music styles having played a lot of it in various jazz bands for years.I play the trombone. His band preformed as expected.great Dixieland point counterpoint.good solos.good phrasing. The phrasing was ok.the instrumental licks were ok.Willie can read with the best of them.Put it all together and I expected more from Wynton.I recognise him to be a genius. I have seen him play, have listened to his many music shows on XM radio, have watched many specials that he has dome on tv.but I missed the point of the exercise here. If only Wynton had gone a little deeper into his bottomless bag of musical knowledge and opened up more. Willie dosen't need any introduction.He carried the ball with flair and style.I hope he plays for another 100 years.
Willie Nelson once again ruins a masterful effort by Wynton and the band. How can such accomplished artists as Marsalis and even Ray himself (Genius Loves Company) not notice the complete lack of singing talent the man possesses. Certainly Willie is an amazing songwriter and performer and even managed to croak out some pretty good ballads in his native country music genre, but PLEASE keep him away from other material.
Willie's singing style works well with a jazz band, which is not surprising. On this album, Willie Nelson sings with a jazz band led by Wynton Marsalis. Actually, Willie sounds like he always sounds, it's the music that is different. The album was recorded live in January of 2007. The set list includes blues songs, country songs and pop standards. It's kind of like a Willie album with a jazz band, featuring more instrumental solos than usual. It's a very good album which Willie's fans should enjoy.
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