Charmaine Ford: Blues For Guppy
By Mike Moroney
At the tender age of 23, pianist Charmaine Ford has a maturity of jazz expression that belies such youth. This is her debut album and it's a classic - a straight ahead jazz trio with Tom Callwood on bass and Mark Nelson on drums. There's an impeccable sense of timing among the trio with well-executed solos, as well as plenty of dynamic interest. All compositions (nine tracks) are Ford's own - including the obligatory 5/4 exercise - but they really swing. Catchy titles too, Chicken Charmaine, Itchy Thought... The real appeal of this album is it's not too clever. It does what it sets out to do: present some great original compositions in a very standard way, moving from ballad to swing to jazz waltz and always keeping the interest up. Kudos also to the rhythm section and engineer Neil Maddever, all of whom add their considerable talents without ever getting in the way. Find out more at www.charmaineford.com.
Related Information
