When You Wish Upon A Star, the latest project from legendary Grammy-winning guitarist/composer Bill Frisell via OKeh Records. Comprised of music from iconic film and television scores, the LP is conceived not only as homage, but as a celebration of music-making with long time collaborators and their collective commitment to refined interpretation of material.
What happens when you wish upon a star? You get new music from Herb Alpert, of course! The prolific trumpet player returns at age 88 with his new studio album (his 49th!) Wish Upon A Star. Filled to the brim with new takes on classic songs we've known and loved for decades, this set of music continues to serve up the unmistakable trumpet playing of the Tijuana Brass master. Herb covers everything from Jerry Reed's "East Bound And Down" to Elvis' "(Marie's The Name) His Latest Flame" and the Beatles' "And I Love Her". Other hits include "Father And Son", "We've Only Just Begun" and the titular song "When You Wish Upon A Star". Let Herb be your Jiminy Cricket through the magical, musical journey of Wish Upon A Star.
Record dates made by American jazz musicians for the Japanese jazz market are often a bit different in their approach. These 2006 sessions, recorded by Ken Peplowski over two days with pianist Ted Rosenthal, bassist Gary Mazzaroppi, and drummer Jeff Brillinger, are unusual in that ten standards (all ballads) are featured, though with the leader playing one version on tenor sax, then immediately following it with another on clarinet. The players are capable enough in varying the approach to each tune with the different instrumentation, with Peplowski's smoky tenor and lyrical clarinet satisfying the listener each time. But one would bet that most listeners would rather have this two-CD set programmed with one disc devoted to each instrument, rather than hearing each song twice in a row…