Lost in Louisiana

Having made the switch to exclusively playing vibraphone with his quartet on 2009's Music Update, Jason Marsalis sticks to his guns, errr, mallets on 2013's In a World of Mallets. Besides vibes, Marsalis also plays various other instruments here including marimba, glockenspiel, tubular bells, and xylophone. Once again working with his quartet featuring pianist Austin Johnson, bassist Will Goble, and drummer Dave Potter, Marsalis delivers an exploratory yet swinging mix of chamber and post-bop jazz. As an ensemble, they seem to have a relaxed, intuitive sense for group interplay and plenty of chops to spare.

Dr. Wu' a.k.a. Jim Ashworth and Bryan Freeze have up until now, been deeply rooted in Texas Blues with the help of such players as the great Buddy Whittington, Mouse Mayes, Red Young, and other top musicians. Now with their 5th release they are broadening their horizons; branching out with new genres of compositions like "Buddy's Bolero" and "Baby I Love You" as well as new rockin' Texas Blues, and the return of the original vocalist Charlie Bassham …all of which make "Ridin' with Dr. Wu' Vol. 5 their best album to date!

The Blues Project is a band from the Greenwich Village neighborhood of New York City that was formed in 1965 and originally split up in 1967. Their songs drew from a wide array of musical styles. They are most remembered as one of the most artful practitioners of pop music, influenced as it was by folk, blues, rhythm & blues, jazz and the pop music of the day…

From the title of this CD, the listener can guess where zydeco artist C.J. Chenier is going with this one. Recorded in 1995, Too Much Fun features a big sound filled with multiple electric guitars, saxophones, trumpet, and percussion instruments, along with the more traditional accordion and rub boards that distinguish the genre of zydeco. C.J. Chenier contributes to the party spirit by playing the accordion, alto saxophone, and providing vocals on the CD. The rest of the Red Hot Louisiana Band gears up for an album of party music meant for dancing. It would be unthinkable in the zydeco tradition to have too much fun without dancing being on the agenda, so dance tunes rule the record. Especially hot dance tunes include "Zydeco Cha Cha," "Louisiana Two Step," "Squeaky Wheel," and "Give Me Some of That," along with the title cut. There is a humorous and admiring nod to the ladies in "Man Smart (Woman Smarter)," as well as some gritty blues on "Louisiana Down Home Blues" and "Lost in the Shuffle." The CD goes out with one last lively dance number, "Louisiana Two-Step," so that no one can ever say that C.J. Chenier kept the dancers from having too much fun.