Introduction: Live at the Meriden

Introduction: Live at the Meriden (2007)

...a breathtaking tour of
material that ranges from Duke Ellington to Ornette Coleman. ...Christopher brings to the music a well-informed sense of tradition, incomparable lyricism, tasteful energy, and a dangerously seductive tone."

Mel Minter, alibi.com (Albuquerque)

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Track Listing:

When I Grow Too Old to Dream
Song d'Automne
Lonely Woman / Ramblin'
Prelude to a Kiss
Mamanita
I Got a Right to Sing the Blues
The Entertainer
In the Shade of the Old Apple Tree
Follow the Second Line

Total Time: 61min

About This Music:

From live shows at the Lionel Hampton Jazz Club at the Meridien Hotel in Paris, these tracks were the debut of my Europe-based quartet. I called it the Jazz Traditions PROJECT. The name was intended to be a tongue-in-cheek way of embracing our passion (and comfort zone) of early jazz. But by making it a "project" we pretended to share the arrogance of many Europe-based groups who intentionally reject the traditions of blues and swing.

So, traditional vehicles (e.g. Scott Joplin's Entertainer) had to be updated, while "modern" vehicles (e.g. Ornette Coleman's music) had to be re-imagined with a disciplined focus on pure melody and un-apologetic focus on the sounds and grooves of New Orleans.

In a way, I kept that approach. But it has never been glib or for the purpose of being smug and ironic. It's just because like Ornette once told me himself, because "...It's all just music."