Search - Michael Wolff :: Portraiture: Blues Period

One of the strongest straight ahead albums of the decade.

07/02/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is by far Michael Wolff's best outing to date. Years spent playing with Cannonball and Sonny gave Wolff a deep sense of the soul and heart of jazz. His own development since has brought a vital, bright, and evocative voice to jazz piano. Wolff's playing here indeed manifests a new found maturity. He takes more chances, and in the process finds more music.Another true delight here is the discovery of jazz guitarist Benjamin Rodefer. A relative unknown, Rodefer is thrown in with the big boys and ends up almost stealing the show. He and Wolff sound like they have played together for years. There is a spark between them that keeps the listener on edge. You never know what is going to happen next. We wouldn't be suprised if some label snapped Rodefer up soon too."Portraiture: The Blues" grooves and swings its way through a mix of standards and exciting Wolff originals. We can only look forward to Michael Wolff and company's next outing, and hopefully to seeing them on the festival circuit soon."