Night Owl by Bryan Shaw

26 Feb

Written by Richard Bourcier
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This new CD from Arbors Jazz issued a "wake-up call" announcing a fine talent that had, to my ears, been unheard. Bryan Shaw is a very classy trumpet player in the mainstream tradition of Roy Eldridge and Red Rodney but showing a great respect for the pioneers Satchmo and Bix. Night Owl is a truly enjoyable CD having an interesting mix of tunes from Leon McAuliffe's "Panhandle Rag" through Coleman Hawkins' "Bean and the Boys" without omitting the trad standards by W.C. Handy and others.

Shaw is a Southern California native and attended high school with trombonist Dan Barrett, leader of "The Jazz Bears". Happily, Barrett appears on this album with other greats including Dave Frishberg, Bucky Pizzarelli, Scott Robinson and the very hot vocalist Rebecca Kilgore.

The repertoire on this session is designed to showcase Bryan Shaw's capabilities and influences. Still a young man in his mid 40s, Bryan has chosen to remain close to his family and remains far removed from the road tours. Thankfully, he is recording and providing traditional jazz addicts with some exciting material to grace their collections.

I like this recording very much and don't hesitate to recommend it to those like myself who must have their daily "fix" of hot jazz.

Additional Info

Artist / Group Name: Bryan Shaw
CD Title: Night Owl
Genre: Traditional / New Orleans
Year Released: 2000
Record Label: Arbors Records
Musicians: Bryan Shaw (trumpet), Dan Barrett (trombone), Brian Ogilvie (clarinet & tenor sax), Scott Robinson (baritone sax, clarinet, tenor sax), Chuck Wilson (alto sax, flute), Dave Frishberg (piano), Jeff Hamilton (drums), Bucky Pizzarelli (guitar), Joel Forbes (bass), Rebecca Kilgore (vocals), David Stone (bass), Eddie Erickson (guitar, banjo, vocal) on track 5.
Label Website: http://www.arborsjazz.com
Rating: Five Stars