E.E.R.
Willie Myette Trio, This is Jazz (51:43); WM3001, 1998
JazzKids Records
20 Longbow Drive
West Warwick, RI 02893
Phone: 800-582-4092
E-mail: wm3@jazzkids.com
Cyberhome: www.jazzkids.com
This is the promising debut of Willie Myette, a straightahead player
based in Providence, Rhode Island. The Berklee- and Fred
Hersch-trained pianist offers up seven standards, as well as Oscar
Peterson's "Hymn to Freedom" and an original waltz titled "Ella's
Song" - dedicated not to the first lady of song, but to Myette's
daughter. Joining Myette is the solid rhythm team of bassist Mark
Carlsen and drummer Jack Menna, both of whom are at their best on an
uptempo version of "The Night We Called it a Day."
It's clear by the end of the first track, "If I Should Lose
You," that Myette has a way with slick, tightly arranged endings. His
5/4 treatment of "Be My Love" contains the disc's most subtle and
alluring moments. However, I would have counseled him against
including "Hymn to Freedom," sung by the JazzKids children's choir
under his wife's direction. Myette founded JazzKids, a jazz
educational program for children, and his pride in the group is
touching. But an objective listener would have to conclude that the
singing isn't CD-worthy and ends the program on a distracting note.
On the technical level, Myette's single-note lines can be a
little stiff at times. He's harmonically adept but not particularly
adventurous, which can be a liability when playing standard
repertoire. The "bag" Myette has chosen puts him in the company of
young players like Brad Mehldau, David Kikoski, and Jacky Terrasson,
all of whom have worked wonders with the Great American Songbook.
Myette will need to find ways to stand out among a very daunting
crowd. But his debut shows that he has the potential to do so.
~David R. Adler, 12/8/99
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