Singer Tom Culver has an earnest and hip cabaret style of delivery, not unlike that of Bobby Short, as he teams with a collection of Angelenos for a fun tribute to Duke Ellington’s songbook. The tunes are arranged by pianists Rich Eames and Josh Nelson (Co-arranged by Rick Hils), and the session is produced by West Coast Cool Crooner Mark Winkler, so the vibe is as breezy as a drive along PCH.
The team of Ricky Woodard/ts, Gabe Davis/b, Kevin Winard/dr, pat Kelly-Larry Koonse/g, Nolan Shaheed/ct are in fine form as Culver shuffles through the title track and a bluesy “Everything But You” and slinks through “I Let A Song Go Out of My Heart.” Koonse coaxes the smoke out of his strings on “I Ain’t Got Nothin’ But the Blues’ and Ricky Woodward blows in like a fog on “Just Squeeze Me.” Winkler joins in for a grooving duet that is rich and exotic with Winard working overtime on “Caravan” with the exact opposite feel emited with Culver giving a rich aria on an introduction to an intimate “Something To Live For.” This guy is eager to please, and you can feel it with each syllable.