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| Artist: Willie Nelson/wynton Marsalis
Label: Blue Note Records
Category: Music
List Price: $18.98
Buy New: $7.59
You Save: $11.39 (60%)
New (41) Used (14) from $7.59
Avg. Customer Rating:  70 reviews
Sales Rank: 164
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 5.6 x 5 x 0.5
EAN: 5099950445424
Release Date: July 8, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 Surprising ! July 19, 2008
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
First let me state that I almost always refuse the trend to give a recording 5 stars merely because I enjoy it. I reserve 5 stars for those I find remarkable. I had to play this CD 3 times (now 4) the 1st day to confirm my initial awe.
Wynton and Willie are 2 artists that I'd given up on, was a huge fan of both many years ago but had lost interest as both had settled into comfortable, but unspectacular or predictable recordings. Upon reflection though, this pairing isn't as odd as it first seems. They are smart to find the common ground that they share - the Blues - and it works. With this, Willie has always had Jazz inflections to his vocal style, swinging around the beat much like Billie Holiday [singing along with him has always been maddening]. Like Billie, Willie can add tension to a lyric by his slightly off-the-beat phrasing. Unlike another reviewer here, I find him in fine voice on this recording. Willie is also an underrated guitarist and is known for using chords more common to Jazz than Country. The songs mostly have small-combo Swing arrangements, occasionally running to full Dixieland.
The choice of musicians here is right on, with the incredible Mickey Raphael on harmonica from Willie's band and the rest, I assume, from Wynton's. I am particularly impressed with Walter Blanding on sax and am glad that the 2 giants give him room to play. Dan Nimmer is also excellent on piano and his jazzy comping is a better choice on this recording than the honky-tonk piano Willie generally would use.
Then there are the songs: a great selection of songs from each other's repertoire. The only song that I could do without is "Caledonia", a song that I just dislike. Willie has recorded "Night Life" a hundred times by now, but Wynton's growling trumpet blows new life into it with a solo that reinforces the angst of the lyric - it may become my favorite recording of the song. It's impossible to improve on Willie's original recording of "Georgia On My Mind", but I particularly like Nimmer's piano accompaniment with Raphael's superbly understated harmonica solo. Sublime!
"Basin Street Blues" and "Rainy Day Blues" gets Wynton's folks into a familiar groove, with latter featuring Blanding and Raphael playing off each other and Willie stretching out a little on his distinctive guitar.
The group even has some fun with "My Bucket's Got A Hole In It" and ending the set with the hilarious "That's All". "Bucket" is reworked as a Dixieland swing number with loose gut-bucket playing by the whole ensemble; Ali Jackson contributes an interesting drum solo and Wynton even contributes a lyric. "That's All" ends with the hottest playing on the disk with all the group members going full blast, an ending that leaves them - and you - breathless.
Which leaves "Ain't Nobody's Business" which may be the tour-de-force. I always shudder when an artist does a song made famous by Billie Holiday, but this version is looser (done very tongue-in-cheek) and gives plenty room for all to solo. Willie contributes a fine guitar solo and a great vocal and Wynton his contibutes his finest playing on the disk. Walter Blanding again impresses on sax and and bass player Carlos Henriquez gets to solo a bit.
It's impressive how tight this group is, you'd think they'd played together forever. I'm glad that Willie and Wynton don't dominate the other band members, especially given the talent of the other players. Jackson and Henriquez provide a solid rhythm section throughout. This is a great performance, perhaps my favorite CD of the year. I recommend it without reservation.
a great combination July 10, 2008
6 out of 9 found this review helpful
I am going to keep this simple. there are great talents in the world of music, Both Willie and Wynton are hallmarks in music. The two together made a great album. Their individual sounds are clear but harmonious. there is no mistaking their style.
BEST WILLIE ALBUM IN 30 YEARS July 17, 2008
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
This is THE BEST Willie Nelson selection in 30 years, it is too bad that no local stores carry it, or if they did they only received two copies........Wynton really blows life into this thing, I am going to buy some more of his stuff.
I don't care how you get your hands on a copy, JUST GET THIS ALBUM or CD, it is GREAT MUSIC, fun on every note and the sonic quality is outstanding, take it from an AUDIOPHILE, it made my system sing to it's fullest potential.
Magnificent meeting of opposites! July 30, 2008
Not since the amazing encounter of Johnny Cash with Satchmo recently released on DVD The Johnny Cash Show: The Best of Johnny Cash 1969-1971 have I heard such a successful blending of two completely different musical styles, yet Willie and Wynton both have so much in common. The merging of souls extends to the backing musicians as well - where else can you hear a country harmonica solo followed so seamlessly by a jazzy sax solo. This session is all heart and a clear mutual love for those elements which are so common yet appear so differently in the two music forms, jazz and country. The simple answer lies in the major common element, the blues. Whether you love jazz or country or both this is the must have album for 2008. When do we get 'Willie and Wynton ll'?
Blessed Blues July 31, 2008
What a blessing to have two extraordinary muscians with such diverse musical and cultural backgrounds come together and perform with such mastery and delight.Maybe Willie is the "white sheep" of the Marsalis family.
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