Search - Lenny Breau :: Lenny Breau Trio

A solid Lenny Breau album, but not his best

Nobody important | 06/26/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Lenny Breau at his worst was still far more interesting than almost any other jazz guitarist at his or her best. This is not Lenny Breau at his worst, but this isn't his best either.



Breau was not just a jazz musician. He also played country, and even flamenco. However, on this album, he sticks pretty much to jazz. The first track dips a bit into country, though, because of the presence of Chet Atkins along with the trio. Breau and Atkins recorded an album together, Standard Brands, but those are not the only recordings of the two together. Chet puts in a guest appearance on the first track here, adding a tinge of country to an otherwise straight acoustic jazz track. It is pretty, but not fiery. The rest of the album is a trio with Don Thompson on bass, and Claude Ranger on drums. You may not have heard of them, but if you are reading this, there is a good chance you have heard Don Thompson on, for example, Jim Hall Live. The rhythm section is good, but of course, Breau is the star here. After the Chet track, the trio plays a slightly upbeat (at least by Breau's standards) rendition of Dylan's Don't Think Twice. Unlike the version on Guitar Sounds of Lenny Breau, he plays electric here. It is a bit different, and I find the version on Guitar Sounds a bit more interesting, but this is still solid Breau. The next track, Mister Night, is the star of the album for me. This is Breau at his swinging best. Neptune, the next track, sounds suspiciously like On Green Dolphin Street. It has more solid playing by Breau, and at times, the tone almost sounds like Sonny Greenwich. The final track has more dynamic range, alternating between Breau's standard mellow sound, and the Greenwich-like playing on Neptune.



This is a solid Breau album. It isn't Live on Bourbon St., but it is good, and if you want to hear Breau and Atkins together without shelling out for a used copy of Standard Brands, you can hear them together on the first track here."