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To the delight of vocalists
(and employers) Harry Connick, Jr. and Diana Krall, guitarist
Russell Malone stands virtually alone in his sublime skill.
Among the current crop of jazz fretmen, while Rodney Jones may
lodge more time with the funk bunch and Martin
Taylor dazzles with his Herculean dexterity, Malone’s
distinctive fingering, sparkling chording and tight
embellishments are a perfect understated complement to each
singer’s technique. While there are suggestions that his style
may be too shy and reserved for this era’s embrace of
explosive solo work, Malone proves that lessons learned from Wes
Montgomery’s albums are still applicable today. On his fifth
solo album, Malone appears to invite the comparisons, with a
series of orchestrated ballads (including the spatial
arrangements of Johnny Mandel) that allow
his fretboard to sing alone. Just the way he caresses the chord
structure of Randy Goddrum’s “You Needed Me” here,
cascading tones in-between one of the most poignant melodies of
any time, Malone’s clarity and emotional underpinning are pure
Wes by choice. As the guitarist softly trickles up the scale
for the chorus of Jack
Segal’s “Wind In The Willow,” you can still hear echoes of
Montgomery’s trills and hearty sonics as the basis for Malone’s
refined notations. They don’t come any classier.
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| Artist |
Russell Malone |
| Title |
Heart Strings |
| Label |
Verve |
| Reviewer |
Richard Proplesch |
| Rating |
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| win stuff |
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