Wynton Marsalis - Standard Time, Vol. 3: The Resolution of Romance (1990)

From the Wynton Marsalis website:

Accompanied by Reginald Veal on bass and Herlin Riley on drums, Wynton joins one of jazz’s finest pianists, his father, Ellis Marsalis, on this album of ballads and blues. Selections include “My Romance,” “Where or When,” and “Skylark,” and three smoking originals “In the Court of King Oliver,” “Bona and Paul,” and “The Seductress” – which promise to become standards in their own right. Dedicated to matriarch Dolores Marsalis, the entire session sings with solos and group playing that respond to, and extend, the lyricism of jazz’s great instrumentalists, from Louis Armstrong to Johnny Hodges to Miles Davis and John Coltrane, and its signature singers, from Bessie Smith on through to Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughn, and Ella Fitzgerald.

The third entry in Wynton's six volume 'Standard Time' series and my second-favorite CD in said series after Volume 1, primarily because of the chosen material and the fact that it doesn't sound like the group is trying too hard to impress. Their laid back subtlely absolutely works.

Ratings/reviews:

• Musician: "this is the trumpeter's finest hour"
• Billboard: "Marsalis takes another sentimental journey through the standards indelibly imprinted upon the psyche of jazz"
• DownBeat (★★★★★): "Marsalis bestows all the wisdom at his command"
• The Penguin Guide to Jazz (5th ed., 2000):★★★½
• The Rolling Stone Jazz & Blues Album Guide (1999): ★★★★
• The Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz (1999): ★★★

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard Top 200: #101
• Billboard Jazz: #1
• CashBox Jazz: #1

Tracks: 21 tracks, 74 minutes. There's a lot to like here, but I'll pick a few favorites.

1. In The Court Of King Oliver (1990 Marsalis original) ✔
2. Never Let Me Go (1956)
3. Street Of Dreams (1932) ✔
4. Where Or When (1937) ✔
5. Bona And Paul (1990 Marsalis original)
6. The Seductress (1990 Marsalis original)
7. A Sleepin' Bee (1954)
8. Big Butter And Egg Man (1926)
9. The Very Thought Of You (1934) ✔
10. I Cover The Waterfront (1933)
11. How Are Things In Glocca Morra? (1947)
12. My Romance (1935) ✔
13. Everything Happens To Me (1940)
14. Flamingo (1940)
15. You're My Everything (1931)
16. Skylark (1941) ✔
17. It's Easy To Remember (1935)
18. Taking A Chance On Love (1940)
19. I Gotta Right To Sing The Blues (1932) ✔
20. In The Wee Small Hours Of The Morning (1955)
21. It's Too Late Now (1951)

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None, although my familiarity with the music here suggests I listened to it quite a bit in the early '90s.

Previously revisited for the blog:

Two Men with the Blues (2008)	Crescent City Christmas Card (1989)
Standards & Ballads (2008)	Baroque Music for Trumpets (1988)
Live at The Village Vanguard (1999)	Portrait of Wynton Marsalis (1988)
Marsalis Plays Monk (1999)	Marsalis Standard Time, Vol. 1 (1987)
In Gabriel's Garden (1996)	Carnaval (1987)
Joe Cool's Blues (1995)	J Mood (1986)
Baroque Duet (1992)	Black Codes (1985)
Uptown Ruler (1991)	Baroque Music for Trumpet (1984)
Standard Time, Vol. 2 (1991)	Hot House Flowers (1984)
Tune In Tomorrow (1990)	Trumpet Concertos (1983)

Blog post #2300