Latest   Blues Twilight   Review

Rotcod Zzaj

When you hear the opener, "The Eternal One", you'll know right away that this is a CD with far more "depth & breadth" than you're used to hearing... it certainly takes you to a level miles higher than "smooth jazz", yet does so with taste & verve, never making you feel like you're an "uneducated listener". The segue into the title track is fluid, & takes you right back to (all) those late-night jazz basements where the smoke never quit rising. Boulger's trumpet is clearly out in front, but with plenty of playing room for tenor saxophones by David Schnitter & Kris Jensen, great pianos by John Hicks & Anthony Wonsey, bass from Dennis Irwin & drums by Victor "Ya-Yah" Jones. These folks are tight in the playing, but with a high "soul quotient"... my ears are really impressed, as will yours be. Freddie Hubbard pens some great liner notes, & that in itself tells me that Richard is "in the big leagues", to be sure. This is Boulger's second album as leader, & "Blues Twilight" is an achievement unto itself. I give it a (B-I-G) MOST HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!