Album Notes

This re-issue CD combines 2 CD's from Eric Shifrin's San Francisco jazz piano trio: ERIC & THE IN CROWD and TRAVELIN' LIGHT. Swing, blues and latin grooves.

Eric Shifrin & The In Crowd
Travelin' Light
The old lady split, left you alone with the cat, a fifth of Makers Mark, and the sound of raindrops cascading off the porch. Need some company? Try the wistful piano twinklings of Eric Shifrin. "I'm travelin' light" Shifrin growls on the opening title track that Chet Baker made famous, "cause my baby's gone." Melancholy and solitude set the mood for this disc of jazz standards, which Shifrin tempers with hope, fond memories and a smoky, nonchalance. Shifrin confidently leads the In Crowd through numbers by composers from Django Reinhardt to Chopin. The album evokes a breakup, ranging from hope ("That Old Feeling") to resignation ("I'll Be Around"). Shifrin's baritone voals lend muscle to "Among My Souvenirs" and the album's pinnacle, Percy Mayfield's R & B classic "Please Send Me Someone To Love." When Shifrin croons to the heavens for his baby's return, you sense she will. You will, too, for more of Shifrin's soulful meditations

Eric Shifrin
ERIC & THE IN CROWD
In Crowd IC2000
Eric Shifrin, piano, vocals; Bing Nathan, bass; Dennis Norby, drums
If you put this on for background music at your next party and listen with half an ear, it will sound like a trendy, postmodern revival of some period pieces from the fifties and sixties along with a couple of Jazz standards and assorted other goodies. Nice, clean fun; nothing too demanding. A closer hearing however, will reveal greater depths. Shifrin has listened to a lot of cats and cooked up a gumbo of of musical influences. The blending is skillful, and no single flavor dominates. What you hear is an almost boyish exuberance seasoned with a lot of technical ability. Shifrin's singing is also fresh and interesting, although he clearly intends for it to supplement his piano playing, not be the main attraction. The sidemen execute the closely arranged charts flawlessly, giving Shifrin a nice ride and doing some heavy swinging of their own. Easy listening, good time music with a lot of chops.