Epinions.com
GUITARIST CHRIS CORTEZ - A MAN OF MANY EXCELLENT VOICES
Sep 21 '03
Author's Product Rating [Product Rating: 5.0]
Pros Fine, relaxed music from start to finish with some humor thrown in
Cons None
The Bottom Line
Chris Cortez is not a household name but he should be. The guy can sing and play with the best.
Full Review
Volunteering for a National Public Radio station has certain advantages. The station is sent music from labels that are lesser known but representative of some fine artists. Once again, my trusty “All World Guide to Jazz” does not mention Chris Cortez at all. “Blue Bamboo” is not exactly a household name in jazz labels but this is one fine album. Mr. Cortez is listed as the guitarist, vocalist, producer and engineer for the album which was recorded at the Blue Bamboo Studios in Slidell, La. from December 2002 to March, 2003.
Mr. Cortez lists a number of great jazz names to which he dedicates the album including: Wes Montgomery, Joe Williams, Tony Bennett, James Moody, Jon Hendricks, Eddie Jefferson and many others. The CD contains 13 songs which are primarily standards. Cortez points out that “Most of his previously released material has been instrumental fusion and smooth jazz, but I regularly perform as a “straight ahead” singing guitarist.” He plays in a regular group in New Orleans frequently. The musicians accompanying him here are: Tommy Sciple, bass; Jeff Mills, drums; Jay Webb, trumpet; Dean Fransen, piano; Larry Panella, tenor, alto sax and clarinet.
Here’s my take on the very fine music:
1. HOLD IT RIGHT THERE—Eddie Vinson/Dossie Terry 3:31
The sub-genres on the album include straight ahead jazz, blues, and bop. With Eddie “Cleanhead” Vinson as the co-composer here, this song fits nicely in a jazz/blues mold. Nice ensemble work starts the song with unison sax and trumpet and then Cortez joins in with “Hold it right there, baby please don’t go” in what I call a “musician’s voice”. While this voice usually belongs to a horn player, guitarist Cortez has the natural rhythmic feeling for the song. After a few vocal bars, he plays some nice licks on his guitar. The overall mood of the song is very relaxed, cool jazz with the blues flavor. Nice opener.
2. LULLABY OF BIRDLAND—Shearing/Weiss 3:17
While Shearing is best known as a jazz pianist, he also sings. On the bop standard, Cortez sings in the same style as Shearing and the overall playing of the song has the quiet, cool sound of a Shearing, Wes Montgomery recording. In fact, the pianist on the song, Sam Bruton, sounds like Shearing and Cortez has the thumb-driven guitar sound of Wes. The song is a very relaxed.
3. AIN’T MISBEHAVIN’—Thomas Waller/Harry Brooks 3:18
From the cool bop of Shearing, Cortez and company move into the old jazz standard of Fats Waller. Webb plays a nice muted trumpet and Cortez again sounds remarkably like Wes Montgomery. My only complaint so far is that three minutes are not long enough to really stretch the solos out but longer cuts appear later. The group’s sound is exactly what you’d expect to hear in a smoky little bar in New Orleans.
4. ALL RIGHT, OK, YOU WIN—Sid Wyche/Mayne Watts 3:01
Made famous by Joe Williams when he was with the Basie band, this is a nice cover. Cortez’s voice here reminds me more of Hoagy Carmichael’s than Williams but it has a nice blues twang to it. Panella plays some nice sax on the cut too.
5. DON’T LET ME BE LONELY TONIGHT—James Taylor 4:31
It’s hard to cover such a classic but Cortez does an amazing job on this Taylor beauty. I love Taylor’s plaintive singing voice and Cortez has him down to a T. His guitar licks are great on the cut with a little Benson sound and Fransen is fine on the piano. Cortez quotes some different songs during his second guitar solo and comes back in vocally with the same warmth that Taylor is famous for. Love this one.
6. JORDU—Duke Jordan 5:27
With another nice change of pace, the group switches from a jazz treatment of a Taylor song to a pure jazz standard by bop and hard bop piano player and composer Jordan. Panella again starts the number with some hard-driving tenor sax, Cortez plays several bars of pure bop on the guitar and Sam Bruton takes several bars in a Jordon-like piano solo. Sciple is featured for the first time on bass and is very melodic in his treatment.
8. STORMY WEATHER—H. Arlen/ T. Koehler 5:24
A great old jazz and blues standards covered by almost everyone from Billie Holiday to Frank Sinatra, Cortez ‘s interpretation is wonderful. Once again, I’m reminded of Hoagy Carmichael as Cortez croons in front of piano, bass, drum and muted trumpet. Fransen is back on piano here and he can play as can trumpeter Webb, still on the mute. Cortez finishes was some flatout gutsy blues which get all the way down to your solar plexis. Nice.
9. CLOUDBURST—L. Kirkland,Jon Hendricks 3:09
Please note the second composer’s name. Jon Hendricks of Lambert, Hendricks and Ross fame sang this song in the fifties and I have seldom heard it sung as well as Cortez sings it. Hell, I haven’t heard it sung much at all. Why? Well, for one thing, the style is vocalese where the singer must sing the exact notes from the original instrumental version. Secondly, the tempo of the song make it extremely difficult to sing effectively but Cortez pulls it off. As he sings, he also plays guitar. This is wonderful stuff as Hendricks voice is almost duplicated here.
10. BENNY’S FROM HEAVEN—J. Burke/A. Johnston 3:48
I wondered about this one from the title which is, of course, a takeoff on “Pennies From Heaven.” The story is a tale of the singer coming home from the military after a two year absence and finding that he has a son named, you guessed it, Benny. One of the lyrics of the song goes: “And when I look at little Benny I can plainly see, that Bennymust be from heaven ‘cause he damn sure ain’t from me.” Wrapped around the satirical vocal is some nice sax work from Panella and more fine guitar playing by Cortez.
12. RED TOP—Gene Ammons 3:09
Pure jazz heaven here. Cortez sings in unison with Panella’s tenor which is fitting for a song written by one of the great tenor sax players, Ammons. The song is hard driving from the first and Cortez both sings and plays guitar beautifully.
13. THE BEST IS YET TO COME—C. Leigh/Cy Coleman 4:02
Sung by numerous folks, Cortez does a nice, easy version that grooves just right from the opening notes. Once again, I’m reminded of Carmichael but I don’t mean to imply that Chris does not have his own sound. He does and he’s an accomplished guitarist.
I wish that I could give you the name of more Chris Cortez albums but the Epinions list only includes this one. It’s a very pleasant, “rainy Sunday afternoon” kind of album when you want to relax without having your brains blasted.
Recommended: Yes
Great Music to Play While: Romancing
Author - Member: Mike Holmes