Innocent When You Dream: Dirt In The Ground

Trumpeter and composer Aaron Shragge must be inspired by Tom Waits, as he uses one of his songs for the title of this album as well as doing a thoughtful cover of his tunes like the classic “Ol ‘55” which would get a nod of  approval from the bohemian. Other Waits pieces are interpreted with thoughtfulness by Shargge and his team of Jonathan Lindhorst/ts, Ryan Butler/g, Joe Grass/st-g and Dan Fortin/b.
The team sounds a bit indie meeting the Crescent City on pieces such as “Chicago” with the leader’s horn rich and full, while getting a bit vaudevillian on “ All the World Is Green.”  The team gets quite Left Bank during “Temptation” as Shragge’s horn cries out, Lindhorst gets rich and breathy on “Anywhere I Lay My Head” and Fortin gets some nice space on “In the Neighborhood” and with all of the songs being fairly concise, the emphasis is on the melody and mood, and it works well, wearing like a vintage Pork Pie Hat.

Leave a Reply