Album Notes

If I Walked on Water opens with a playful song of courtship in the language of the King James Bible set to a gypsy jazz backdrop of clarinet, accordion and exotic percussion. Next on "It's Cold In Here", The Thousandaires lay down their best shuffle, for a tale of long-distance love and we're off on a jovial journey through the Jazz Age and it's varied musical children from Dixieland and Rhythm and Blues to New Orleans style funk and Cajun Country. In the spectrum of American songwriting we find, at one end, the simple elegance and sophistication of Duke Ellington, exploring the instrumentation and spirit of jazz, to the lyrical virtuosity of Bob Dylan, dealing in folk and blues traditions, at the other end. In between, we encounter a myriad of ways to split the difference, between Johnny Mercer, Ray Charles, and Dr. John. Musician and songwriter, Ted Hefko is finding his way to tow the line with wry lyrics that make sense when you write them down and plenty of live improv over a backdrop of stirring rhythms all with the optimistic spirit and the dogged determination that define America's musical heritage.
Ted Hefko and The Thousandaires have made a record that displays a fare share of all of their talents in the service of nine songs. An album that features fresh original writing with an acknowledgement of sounds that have come before, a healthy dose of experimentation and happy accidents, and production that is not distracted by the latest gimmicks of technology, nor fettered by a historical purism. The songs and themes of "If I Walked On Water" are undeniably linked, yet there is more than enough variety on this musical outing to keep the listener engaged.