Two Men With the Blues

Performer: Willie Nelson
Distributor: EMI Music Distribution

Notes: Personnel: Willie Nelson (vocals, guitar); Wynton Marsalis (vocals, trumpet); Mickey Raphael (harmonica); Walter Blanding (saxophone); Dan Nimmer (piano); Carlos Henr�quez (upright bass); Ali Muhammed Jackson (drums). TWO MEN WITH THE BLUES brings out both the jazziness that's long been a key element of Willie Nelson's sound (his standards album, STARDUST, remains one of his most acclaimed efforts) and the New Orleans-tinged, Louis Armstrong-esque bluesiness that's at the core of almost everything Wynton Marsalis has ever done (not counting that classical album!). Marsalis blows blistering, gutsy solos on Nelson's own classic tune "Night Life," and Willie sounds completely at home delivering a low-key version of the New Orleans jazz standard "Basin Street Blues." A version of the Ray Charles signature song "Georgia on My Mind" highlights the jazz-savvy chordal movement and country/blues base of the timeless composition. TWO MEN WITH THE BLUES is a successful sonic summit meeting, but the two camps represented were never truly that far apart to begin with.

Rolling Stone (p.95) - 3.5 stars out of 5 -- "[Marsalis] chills out, adding a one-note trumpet solo on 'That's All' that's funny and awesome." Entertainment Weekly (p.75) - "[T]heir sensibility is New Orleans by way of Texas and Tin Pan Alley -- with Marsalis' usual horn-fronted band doing the driving and Nelson settling in perfectly with his offbeat vocal phrasing." Down Beat (p.64) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "Marsalis and Nelson have no problem finding common ground....Those familiar with Nelson's work will recognize his longtime harmonica player Mickey Raphael..." JazzTimes - "Marsalis' soloing throughout parses vintage-sounding blues riffs and his naturally probing attitude as a player, seeking out the cerebral blues notes of his personal devising." Vibe (p.62) - "Impressive without being pretentious, TWO MEN possesses an urbane strut that's perfect for jazzheads -- and their country cousins." Dirty Linen (pp.44-45) - "Their version of Nelson's 'Night Life' has to be the swankiest ever, especially given Marsalis' breathtaking solos that conjures images of him playing from a wrought iron French Quarter balcony with his horn's bell raised to the stars." Q (Magazine) (p.140) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "[Nelson is] an ideal interpreter of these 10 old jazz and blues standards made famous by Jimmy Reed, Louis Jordan and more, especially when joined by trumpeter and jazz educationalist Marsalis and band." Mojo (Publisher) (p.111) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "[With] Marsalis interjecting an array of piquant, often inspired solos..." Blender (Magazine) (p.90) - 3.5 stars out of 5 -- "A trumpet-anchored jazz combo swings Nelson's smoothness into new directions, and he returns the favor by helping bandleader Wynton Marsalis loosen up..." Paste (magazine) (p.74) - "[It] feels like a long-overdue summit meeting. These renditions of classics -- including some of Willie's own -- sound completely natural..." Record Collector (magazine) (p.102) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "Nelson revisits the bluesier elements of his own catalogue....It's Marsalis' album, full of soaring horn flourishes and subtle phrasing..."

Willie Nelson began working in a conventional Nashville style and had great success as the songwriter of Faron Young's hit "Hello Walls" and others, but he was initially unable to make it as a performer. In the 1970s, he and Waylon Jennings made history with their outlaw country sound and image, growing their hair long and utilizing a raw, rock-influenced sound that endeared them to millions of country fans and rockers alike. Subsequently, Nelson ventured into Sinatra territory with STARDUST, an album of standards that became a huge success and established him as a singer who transcended genre boundaries. Throughout the '80s, '90s, and into the 21st century, he crossed over into pop and back again continually, even releasing an album of reggae covers, working with artists as diverse as Julio Iglesias and Ryan Adams.

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