‘Shades of Sound' by Ryan Truesdell and the Gil Evans Project Review: A Jazz Arranger's Artistry
There's an upbeat and comical side to the blues, which comes out in the music of Louis Jordan. There's a sophisticated and sensual side to the blues, which we hear in the singing of Nat King Cole and Dinah Washington. And there's a dark, mysterious and even sinister side to the blues, which was expressed better than anyone by Howlin' Wolf, particularly in his classic 1960 recording of Willie Dixon's 'Spoonful,' in which he threatens, 'one spoon of lead from 45 / Save you from another man.'
When the great jazz arranger and composer Gil Evans orchestrated 'Spoonful' for his 17-piece big band in 1964, he encapsulated all the different aspects of the blues into one epic 14-minute performance. His legacy is celebrated on a new release, 'Shades of Sound (Live at Jazz Standard Vol. 2)' (Outside in Music, out May 30), by Ryan Truesdell and the Gil Evans Project.
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