Jason Keiser: Kind of Kenny

Playing acoustic guitars, Jason Keiser gives a tribute to the music of the late trumpet great Kenny Wheeler, interpreting the horn man’s compositions (and a few originals)  with guitarist John Stowell, vocalist Danielle Wertz, saxist Michael Zilber and Jekabson on trumpet and flugelhorn. The concept of emphasizing two guitars, with Jekabson in the background, was a brilliant one, and it works well here, as Jekabson serves as almost a reminder for the fluffy “Hotel Le Hot”, and Zilber’s soprano sax on “Kayak”. Jekabson is bluesy for the delicate “Gentle  Piece” with the pastoral Wertz, while his tenor is melancholy with her on “For Jan”. The guitarists are dreamlike on “Kind of Kenny” and deliver a duet of “Wheeler’s Waltz” that is gorgeously cozy. Brass looks good in strings.

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