LA based cool toned guitarist Doug MacDonald teams with bassist Harvey Newmark for a tasty collection of standards with a few originals. This is the type of music that used to be prevalent in LA jazz clubs, but with the COVID lockdown, we’re all the more to cherish these intimate summits.
MacDonald’s own “New World” and “Desert Jazz” both feature easy swing, interplay and Newmark’s bopping tempo, while “De-Ha” have the two boogalooing with aplomb. Newmark gives a hip intro to MacDonald’s modal read of John Coltrane’s “Village Blues” and is fragrant on MacDonald’s bouncy “Pleasante Pleasant”. As for the guitarist, he does a gorgeous solo aria on a rich “Is This It” while is classy on “Baubles, Bangles and Beads” while joyfully strutting on “Flamingo” and the cheerful “My Little Boat”. Timeless and tasty.