Album Review: Jazz It Up from Bob Arthurs and Steve LaMattina
Album: Jazz It Up Artists: Bob Arthurs and Steve Lamattina Label: Blue Griffin Recording, Inc. Website: www.bobarthursmusic.com Jazz It Up , the latest CD from the collaboration of trumpet player Bob Arthurs and guitarist Steve LaMattina is a vessel for Ukranian folk songs, interpreted using European blues and American jazz conjugations. The endeavor proves to be a mellow outing sewing together moments of quiet contemplation and episodic anecdotes. The seeds of appreciation for traditional Ukranian melodies are planted, displaying their vitality and intrinsic ability to speak to global societies. Fundamental sounding, the tunes resonate with people of diverse cultures. For instance, "Walking Around the Garden" permeates a bluesy French persuasive, reminiscent of the culture's nightclub atmosphere with smooth vocals and a sparsely layered melody containing a slow-simmering guitar strum and the occasional flare of the trumpet. The bluesy...