Quietly cooking melodic jazz and swing favs led by the rock-solid bassist who also ably anchored our Joe Stanley and John Cocuzzi sessions. Previti made history for 18 years backing up guitar giant Danny Gatton. And you jazzers probably heard John keepin’ time for Doc Cheatham, Herb Ellis or Charlie Byrd. His longtime bandmates aren’t chopped liver either. There’s mellow, deft pick work by Rick Whitehead, D.C.’s jazz guitar icon. Big Joe’s laidback, bluesy drums frame the quartet; Marianna from the J Street Jumpers adds nostalgic vocals. Tunes include “In A Sentimental Mood”, “Do Nothing Til You Hear From Me”, “Wabash Blues” and my absolute favorite “I Though About You”, a gorgeous vocal duet by Marianna and Big Joe.
TRACK LISTING
1. My Rosetta (E. Hines)
2. I Thought About You (J. VanHeusen) Listen to Full Song
3. The Lady Is A Tramp (L. Hart/ R. Rodgers)
4. I Can't Believe You're In Love With Me (J. McHugh/ C. Gaskill)
5. In A Sentimental Mood (E.K. Ellington) Listen to Sample
6. Wabash Blues (S.J. Bechet)
7. Jitterbug Waltz (T.A. Waller) Listen to Sample
8. Gonna Sit Right Down And Write Myself A Letter (F. Ahlert/ J. YOung)
9. Reflections (E.K. Ellington/ M. Houseman/ M. Raskin)
10. Do Nothing Til You Hear From Me (E.K. Ellington/ B. Russei)
11. On The Street Where You Live (A.J. Lerner/ F. Loewe)
12. Don't Blame Me (D. Fields/ J. McHUgh)
It’s easy to lose sight of the fact that the John Previti Quartet’s new CD was recorded in the studio, since the band often sounds as if it’s in the midst of a late-nightclub performance, casually swinging its way through a collection of vintage jazz and pop standards. About the only thing missing is the sound of tinkling glassware. Occasionally augmented by vocalist Marianna Previti, no stranger to swing-era sounds herself, the quartet devotes the 12 performances on Swinging Lullabyes for My Rosetta to music that has never gone out of fashion in jazz circles. Duke Ellington’s handiwork inspires three appealing collaborations, beginning with bassist Previti’s ruminative reprise of “In a Sentimental Mood” and ending with “Do Nothing Til You Hear From Me.” The latter tune, intentionally or not, finds Marianna Previti evoking images of another contemporary vocalist with similarly old-school tastes: Maria Moldier. Sidney Bechet, Earl Hines and Fats Waller also receive affectionate nods. Yet when the band reprises Waller’s “Jitterbug Waltz,” relying on an arrangement that makes wonderful use of Previti’s upright bass, pianist John Cocuzzi’s switch-hitting work on vibes and Rick Whitehead’s fluid guitar, some listeners will also be reminded of how much guitarist Charlie Byrd—one of the band-leader’s friends and collaborators—admired the same tune. Drummer and singer Joe Maher rounds out the lineup, adding brush-stroked motion and soulful vocals to a series of performances that often charm effortlessly. -Mike Joyce
Previti started out on guitar and has played bass for such guitarists as Charlie Byrd and Herb Ellis. In this session under his own name he works in a swing and jazz mode, with some of the tunes having almost a 1920s sound to them. The vocals are mostly on ballads such as I Can’t Believe You’re in Love with Me, and Mrs. Previti does a nice job on them. The band really turns Waller’s Jitterbug Waltz into a major and very swinging statement. The bass comes thru clean and deep via Mapleshade’s direct to two-track analog tape approach. And the 1911 Steinway in their studio...sounds just fine here. -John Henry
