Jordan Officer - Blue Skies (2015) [Hi-Res]

Tracklist

01. Blue Skies
02. Got You On My Mind
03. It's You I Love
04. Shot of Rhythm and Blues
05. Chains of Love
06. Night Flight
07. How Long Blues
08. That's for Me
09. Then She Kissed Me
10. When the Deal Goes Down
11. Takin' Off


Jordan Officer treads a fine line between jazz, blues, country and traditional rock’n’roll. On his latest release, Blue Skies, he opens the album with his version of Tom Waits’ title track, but eschews Waits’ solo finger-picking in favour of a two guitar backing, one comping and one adding solos and licks, adding a trad-jazz sheen that wasn’t altogether obvious on the original. And it works very nicely, adding a little joie de vivre to the already-excellent original.

The first song he sang & played publicly in high school was Tom Waits’ “Blue Skies”, it gets a bluesy treatment here. There are no Lonnie Johnson songs here and he’s probably very tired of references to his sound being so influenced but the similarity is unmistakable. In his press release, Officer proudly announces his inclusion in Hal Leonard’s sheet music books among the greats quoted in Scott Yanow’s “The Great Jazz Guitarists, The Ultimate Guide”, so enough of Mr. Johnson then, Officer’s guitar work on this disc is superb throughout. The Big Three Trio’s “Got You On My Mind” provides an especially good example of his guitar work. The tempo picks up for Arthur Alexander’s “Shot of Rhythm And Blues” which features back up vocals from former partner Susie Arioli and another amazing solo that is faded all too early. His laid back vocal style is made to measure for Leroy Carr’s “How Long Blues”. Bob Dylan’s “When The Deal Goes Down” (from Modern Times) also gets a nicely bluesy turn. “Takin’ Off” features one more guest, Augie Meyers, who contributes some of his trademark Tex-Mex organ to an attractive instrumental to close.

"This is not a blues album, but it is an album with a lot of blues in it. Armstrong’s “That’s For Me” is given a shuffle treatment but doesn’t quite hit the blues groove, primarily due to Office’s over-dubbed counter-point lead guitar. Even Leroy Carr’s “How Long Blues” is closer to jazz than pure blues, in particular on Officer’s chromatic soloing. It is however a very enjoyable album. This reviewer would probably have preferred to hear more originals, but the cover versions are well-chosen and well-played, respectful yet slightly left-field, a trait that should be widely encouraged. If you’re looking for something new to play late at night, something as smooth as that glass of whiskey in your hand, then you’ll find much to enjoy on Blue Skies."

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