TITLE: Blues For JW, McVouty Records
DESCRIPTION: A "live" recording by one of the country's top bebop artists.
Jay's live performances have the feel of the after hours clubs where he first tested his jazz chops and his live CDs have gained high marks from audiences in the US, Canada, Japan and Europe. This eighth CD from leader Jay Thomas and his quartet swings from the very first note!
ARTIST COMMENTS: JAY THOMAS blues for jw
OK....the cat's out of the bag.... Not a "teenage boy wonder", not an "up and coming player in my 20's", not a "seasoned 30's", not a "still viable 40's"...no, none of the above. What I am is a 53-year-old musician that has spent the majority of his life in music. I have played and recorded with big name musicians but am still essentially under the radar screen of "industry" happenings. Well, if this were professional sports I would be history. However music is not sports and I still have many notes to play. In this regard I am terrifically inspired by guys like James Moody, Bill Ramsay, Clark Terry, Bud Shank, Jimmy Heath and Frank Wess. These guys, in their seventies and eighties, are important repositories of the jazz tradition. Still youthful in spirit they all are smokin' players. I have been fortunate to have played with all these elder statesmen of jazz within the last two years (including two greats that have since passed, Ray Brown and Conti Condoli). They were and are my role models. Of course I also love all the young musicians out there who are playing great. Players like Seamus Blake, Chris Potter, Ingrid Jensen, Jeremy Pelt and tons of others. All in all, I love my life in music and hope you can hear that in this CD, basically a recording of a live jazz gig at a great club with a nice piano.
Jay Thomas, February 2,2003
(To read more about Jay check out his web site at: www.jaythomasjazz.com )
THE SONGS ON THIS CD:
"The songs on this latest CD are especially listener friendly. For those of you with late night shows looking for selections nice and easy we have three tenor ballads, Ellington's, "Low Key Lightly", Lucky Thompson's "A Lady's Vanity" and "You Know I Care" by Duke Jordan.. For the morning shows DJs we have a couple of eye-openers, like "Alone Together" and "On The Brink". For all of you with a mainstream audience try "Some Other Time" and Ellington's, "I'm Afraid". Of course don't overlook the title tune, "Blues For JW", dedicated to that dedicated spokesman for the jazz world, JimWilke.
ARTIST: Jay Thomas... a native of Seattle is a versatile multi-instrumentalist (trumpet, flugelhorn, alto, tenor, soprano and flutes). His music is eclectic, drawing on all musical situations in his life. His music could be described as lyrical without losing touch with the blues.
"Thomas improvises with the joyous élan of his vintage progenitors. 'The music,' he says, 'has the power to transform and fulfill like no other activity I know.' Although the trumpet is his main instrument, Mr. Thomas's full, sensual sound on tenor is equally compelling and personal. On all his instruments, there is constant spontaneity."
Nat Hentoff ....... The Wall Street Journal, April 19, 2000
Jay has performed with major jazz artists in clubs and festivals throughout the United States, Canada, Great Britain and Japan. In Japan Jay is currently a member of one of the top big bands and joins them 2 to 3 times a year playing concerts and teaching clinics.
"On trumpet, Thomas' lyricism and harmonic inventions make him one of today's most interesting soloist on the instrument".
Doug Ramsey ... JAZZ TIMES
Jay can be heard on over 70 CDs, including eight as leader. His distinctive sound is on many commercials and on a few film scores. Reviews and articles on Jay have appeared in many jazz magazines and newspapers in the US, Great Britain and Japan including the LA Times, Seattle Times, Boston Globe, Wall Street Journal, Jazz Times, Jazz Player, Jazz Now, Japan Swing Journal, and International Jazz Journal.
"Thomas plays with blazing intensity, depth and imagination."
Dr. Herb Wong ... Radio/Recordings Chair, iaje
Jay's musical voice is a very personable and recognizable sound, characterized by warmth, lyricism and rhythmic authority. Hear him when you can, you won't be disappointed.
"one of the best jazz musicians in music today, bar none!"
Tim Price ... Saxophone Journal
Here is the first review for Blues for JW
written by jazz critic, Harvey Siders.
Jazz&Classics
By Harvey Siders
For The Record
For the record, they're no longer called "records," but no musician says he hopes to ink a lucrative "CD deal." And singers still talk about putting out a " cover record." Ah, the tyranny of words. Makes you long for the eccentricities of Slim Gaillard, the late guitarist who invented his own hip slang: words like vout,voot,oroonie,oreenie. Remember
" Cement Mixer, Put-tee, Put-tee"?
Well, before I get hopelessly detoured, lets return to the original key and the latest release from McVouty the record label Jay Thomas named in honor of his tours with Gaillard. It's called Blues for JW, those initials standing for Jim Wilke, an excellent engineer and jazz historian with ties to more initials, KPLU.
It's from a live session at Tula's in Seattle, where Jay fronted a highly responsive rhythm section: Olympia's Bob Nixon, piano, Chuck Kistler, bass and Matt Jorgenson, drums. Of course, Jay is a small combo all by himself on this recording: trumpet, flugelhorn, and tenor sax. But he excels at all the saxes and flutes. Apparently one embouchure fits all. He also excels at breathing sensitivity and skill into those mouthpieces. Just playing a bunch of horns is impressive, but for this pair of ears it's accurate to say he never disappoints.
I've heard him in many combo and big band settings, and when he solos, he's always aware of the beauty of tone and the logic of the line. He sculpts more than he plays; I often wonder if he's capable of a boring solo. Blues for JW reinforces that feeling and Bob Nixon fits nicely into that category. He listens when he comps (accompanies) and reacts instantly. Take the title tune for example (You are going to buy the CD aren't you?): Bob uses the final two notes of Jay's solo as his launching pad. And listen to the clean unison between Jay's tenor and Kistler's bass. Jay wrote the line, but Chuck is clearly on the same page. And for quiet passion in jazz, try Jay's Getz-like sound on Ellington's seldom-heard " Low Key Lightly."
The whole album is so...so vouty!
July 31st. 2003
Harvey Siders writes for Jazz Times and The Tacoma News Tribune
In addition to being a jazz writer of longstanding and Downbeat editor in the 1960s he also is an accomplished songwriter and lyricist.
Here is a second review just sent to us.
October 2003
Volume 13, Number 6
Blues for JW
MCVCD 8240
Jay Thomas, trumpet, flugelhorn, tenor sax; Bob Nixon, piano; Chuck Kistler, bass; Matt Jorgensen, drums.
Multi-instrumentalist Jay Thomas starts out on tenor saxophone with his own piece, "Blues for JW"; he has a light, airy sound and an easy relaxed feel to his playing. "Sometime Ago", a Jazz waltz by Sergio Mihanovich brings out a fine feely solo from pianist Bob Nixon; Thomas, switching to trumpet, is always right on the money, placing his notes melodically in exactly the right place to intrigue and delight. He breathes soothingly into the tenor with Ellington's slow piece, "Low Key Lightly". Through "Why Don't You?", "On The Brink", a fast moving samba, "You Know I Care", a sentimental ballad, "Alone Together" and "A Lady's Vanity", another slow ballad, Thomas switches instruments constantly. "The CD went down easy," says Thomas, "just a Jazz gig at a Jazz club with a nice piano." Jay Thomas is a consummate professional, his improvisations are perfectly placed on this varied CD, with excellent backing and a special mention for the sensitive piano playing of Bob Nixon, this makes for good listening.
by Ferdinand Maylin
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