Delirium Blues Project: Roseanna Vitro (vocals); Adam Rogers (guitar); James Carter (tenor saxophone); Geoff Countryman (baritone saxophone); Randy Brecker (trumpet); Ray Anderson (trombone); Kenny Werner (keyboards); John Patitucci (acoustic bass, electric bass); Rocky Bryant (drums).

Personnel: Kenny Werner (piano); James Carter , Adam Rogers, John Patitucci, Randy Brecker, Ray Anderson.

Audio Mixer: Paul Wickliffe.

Liner Note Author: Jeff Levenson.

Recording information: Blue Note, New York, NY (08/14/2007-08/19/2007).

Director: Jeff Levenson.

Photographer: Larry Ford.

Arranger: Kenny Werner.

When keyboardist Kenny Werner and vocalist Roseanne Vitro formed the Delirium Blues Project, their idea was to reshape songs from a wide variety of musical styles into bluesy settings. With Werner's inspired charts and Vitro's expressive vocals, plus a superb horn section including trumpeter Randy Brecker, trombonist Ray Anderson, tenor saxophonist James Carter, and baritone saxophonist Geoff Countryman, they prove themselves again and again. What is surprising as the group delivers a feverish, tense rendition of Tower of Power's "What Is Hip" as its opener is the realization that this is a live recording. Vitro's moving vocal in the moody"Blue" (first recorded by Lambert, Hendricks & Ross with Annie Ross singing lead), backed by the dramatic horns, is breathtaking; her blues-drenched take of Mose Allison's "Everybody's Crying Mercy" is pure fun. Bassist John Patitucci provides Vitro's sole backing for the simmering take of "In the Dark" (in honor of Nina Simone). Folk-rocker Joni Mitchell's "Be Cool" helps to lighten the mood a bit, while Vitro conjures a number of soul singers with her hip take of "Cheater Man." This CD is sure to revive interest in many of these long-overlooked songs from earlier eras. ~ Ken Dryden

Genre:

• Jazz

Music Categories:

• Jazz General