On My iPod

Duets and musical pairings can often make strange bed-fellows. Sometimes it is to be creative in some unusual way. Others it is to get your attention or to milk some idea for more money. I wasn't sure what to think when I noticed a new one in the long, long list of pairings that Willie Nelson has made over the years.

The album is called Two Men With the Blues and it pairs country legend Nelson with Jazz and classical icon Wynton Marsalis. Huh? Was my first thought. What has Wynton done to himself now? Is his career hurting that badly? Or is he trying to "dumb down?" Nothing against Willie. I have many of his songs on my iPod, but with my ultimate contemporary trumpet player?

You bet! It is a remarkable album. Willie can jazz it and Wynton and band can just play great music. The arrangements are sometimes as expected but often just different enough that you smile at what Wynton and the band do. The solos are right on and the mix of styles and grooves is always interesting. It even sounds like Wynton is having a great time as he moves and shifts through the chords and moods.

No it is not country. It is blues and jazz with Willie's remarkable style blending Wynton's perspective into an album worth listening to. Many times. This is no gimmick. This works.