Jonathan & Kitty
Posted by Fresh New Music on September 13, 2011
Here’s an interesting idea. What would happen if Eric Clapton came up with the set list, and jazz great Wynton Marsalis came up with the arrangements, and a group of stellar musical virtuosos were all brought together to bring the music to life?
If you were lucky enough to be in the audience on one of two nights at Lincoln Center last April, you got to hear for yourself. For the rest of us, there’s a new CD out now called “Wynton Marsalis & Eric Clapton Play The Blues.”
Even though the album’s title has “blues” in it, this album defnitely has a jazzy feel…after all it’s the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra that’s backing them up, not your traditional blues combo or even rock n roll lineup that you might be used to with Mr. Clapton.
The set list is definitely intriguing..and a preview of the songs on Wynton Marsalis’ website is nothing if not compelling. The intro to Layla sure doesn’t sound like the Derek & the Dominoes version, or that sleepy unplugged version from the early ’90s, thankfully.
This is a far different Clapton than I saw at the Crossroads Guitar Festival..and might not be for everyone. But if you like a little Dixieland as a change of pace from soulful solos and catchy blues riffs, you may want to check this album out.
–posted by Kitty Dunn
