Album Notes

The ability to play jazz on a world-class level has throughout the history of the music been a family trait. Think of the amazing brother teams of the past sixty years: the Jones boys (Elvin, Thad, and Hank), the Brecker Brothers (Michael and Randy), the Adderley siblings (Nat and Cannonball), and the Methenys (Mike and Pat). Jazz history also has its share of brilliant father/son pairings: Ellis and Wynton Marsalis (not to mention Branford, Delfayo, and Jason), Bucky and John Pizzarelli, and Jimmy and Mtume Heath.

Now try to think of prominent mother/son teams in jazz...tough, isn’t it? With the release of the CD you now hold in your hand the task gets much easier. Carolbeth True has been a mainstay of the St. Louis jazz scene for some time. Now she has teamed with her son, the equally gifted drummer David True, to produce a recording full of the joy, passion, and fire that typifies the best jazz recordings of our time.

Carolbeth and David are joined by the astoundingly facile and always creative bassist Glen Smith, who plays regularly with Carolbeth in her trio. Guesting on several tracks are saxophonist Larry Johnson, who plays with a robust sound influenced by Michael Brecker, brilliant acoustic bassist Marc Torlina, and guitarist Todd Mosby, whose conception marries the unlikely but totally compatible genres of blues, jazz, and classical northern Indian music. Together these six musicians travel through a variety of styles, tempos, and feels, all while making complex jazz improvisation sound as simple as whistling.

While it will immediately grab and delight you, Two Times True is one of those discs that reveals more depth and musicality with each succeeding visit. Listen closely...