The Art Of Intimacy,Vol.2: His Muse (CD)

Playing jazz is a lot like love itself. It is as much about poignancy as it is about joy. Whether we listen to a torch song or read a love poem by Shelley, we experience their creators pain or we share in their euphoria. And it is Jeremy Pelts understanding of this dichotomy of passion and restraint that makes this album so compelling. The set list is as all-encompassing as a love affair from the straight-ahead feeling of I Cant Escape from You to the breathless stillness of his muted trumpet on Therell Be Other Times. His sly, half-valve effects on Blues in Sophistication show an impish delight while Henry Mancinis Slow Hot Wind throbs with an ever so discreet Latin feel. This may be considered a with strings record but Pelt does not let this descend into a vibrato-laden string sound. There is an unusually classical feel to this album with the string quartet supporting, reinforcing and commenting on Pelts playing rather than sugar-coating it. Buddy Rich once said, Jazz should be treated the same as classical music. He was right. He got it and, as evidenced herein, so does Jeremy Pelt