Blue Crescentby Dr. Michael White (Basin Street Records)
Genre: Jazz
I wasn’t really sure what to think when I started listening to Blue Crescent for the first time. I was sort of interested because it seemed different, but I wasn’t extremely enthused. A new collection of New Orleans-style jazz, it just didn’t seem like my type of music. Something for my dad, sure. But for me? Not so sure. Still, I gave it a try and as I got into it, it really grew on me. Dr. Michael White is a jazz musician from New Orleans. In hurricane Katrina, he lost almost all of his instruments and musical equipment. But through hard work and determination, he finally has gotten back to his recording career, and this CD is the result. I was really captured by the upbeat rhythms and fun instrumentation as I first started listening to this album. It caught me off guard a little bit because I wasn’t really expecting to like it. Nonetheless, it caught my attention and kept me listening. Probably the best—or at least most creative—song on this CD is “Katrina.” This song is a funeral march for the tragedy of what the hurricane did. Throughout the song there are a plethora of instruments. Like a character in a play, each instrument comes forward for a solo that “tells” its story in the sad funeral march. Very interesting! The opening song “Comme Ci Comme Ca” is another song that is excellent. There is a lot of energy in it, and it feels like something that you’d hear as you’re walking past a jazz bar at night with music pouring out of it. My only complaint about this album is that after a while the music starts to blend together. It’s not the kind of CD you’d just want to put on repeat and listen to over and over. Although it’s good, it just starts to feel the same after a while in some spots. Overall though, Blue Crescent is for sure worth a listen. It took me by surprise, and generally kept my interest. I recommend it, especially if you’re a jazz fan. FAMILYFANS RATING: B+ --TN Note: All CD covers and related graphics in this column are standard publicity/promotional shots and are owned by their respective record companies. ---
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