Some albums should come with health warnings, and this is one of them. Sadly this appears to be lacking from the cover so I’ll provide one for you instead “WARNING: DO NOT, REPEAT, DO NOT PLAY THIS WHILE DRIVING!” The last time I came across an album like this was Leon Redbone’s ‘Sugar’, which featured “So, Relax”, and here bassist John Brown leads his quintet though a selection of jazz standards and newer songs with the aim of moving “people to stand still; to stop to find private space to experience quiet time both alone and with someone.” While he provides the solid bedrock himself, he has brought together veteran trumpeter/flugelhornist Ray Codrington and young alto/tenor saxophonist Brian Miller, along with pianist Gabe Evens and drummer Adonis Rose.
I did make the mistake of playing this in the car the first time, but I actually switched to another album after a few songs as I found that I really was starting to drift into a world that was surrounding me like a warm blanket, and that really isn’t desirable when driving! Now, playing this at night with a suitably sized Bombay gin & tonic and it was another matter altogether. In this environment it becomes an album that is sadly way too short at a tad under 75 minutes long, and I found myself either hitting the repeat or promising myself that I would play it again the next night as well. Originally released in 2012, it was repromoted at the beginning of 2014 and I am so glad that I came across this as it truly is a delight.
www.brownboulevard.com
