Tim Clausen's Jazz Helping has been holding a spot in my multi- disc CD player for just under a year now and I do not foresee removing it anytime soon. 

Jazz Helping is a perfectly played spin on a number of standards and includes some original material that will cause foot stomping as well.  Tim's approach to his music is very pure and respectful but also playful at times. Each song is an adventure unto itself that just keeps bringing you back to listen again and again. 

Jazz Helping was easily my best music purchase in 2010. I really feel like I have gotten more than my monies worth with this recording. You will not be disappointed.
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Tim Clausen has served as chief officer of the Erroll Garner society as well as promoted the music of overlooked piano giants such as Dave Catney, assuring that is own music reflects the living, vital tradition extending from the present back to Fats Waller and James P. Johnson.  But Tim is also a self-taught pianist who has on his own solved some of the biggest challenges confronting every pianist, such as the activity of the left-hand during up-tempo numbers that don't employ a bass player.  Consequently, he is a player who not only reflects the tradition but does so in an original, unique and highly personal manner.  He's an artist, moreover, who might be said to be autonomous, or "self-contained," requiring neither an over-powered rhythm section nor electronic gear of any sort to produce effective, satisfying and complete performances that are polished yet extemporaneous and "in the moment."  Finally, his impeccable taste and choice of repertory, along with his unapologetic approach to melody and emphasis on that endangered style, or sensibility, called "swing," can not help but reach audiences across a broad spectrum of  generations and musical preferences.
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Tim Clausen is one of those players who's a triple threat: 1. he's a composer of original yet memorable melodies; 2. he knows the "Great American Songbook" as well as the best recent pop tunes; c. he's a two-handed piano player who swings with the energy and inspiration of his music hero, the inimitable Erroll Garner (composer of "Misty").  This is a generous program that represents virtually every major style and musical era, from ballads to swingers, from Gershwin and Ellington to Bacharach and the Jobim.  In an era of electronic keyboards, karaoke machines, and auto-playing pianos, Tim is the real deal--a reminder of the days when not just Garner but Art Tatum, Fats Waller and, more recently, Dave McKenna were the kings of the keyboard.
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Joyful... playful... delightful... this music is straight from the heart of the artist. If it doesn't lift your spirits, check your local obituary column!
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