Jazz pianist Craig Brenner of Bloomington, Indiana, has been in and out of New Orleans so much over the past five decades, he may as well be an adopted son. He first caught the Crescent City bug by seeing Professor Longhair at Jazz Fest, which ultimately led to Brenner befriending Fess’ percussionist Uganda Roberts. He often hired Roberts for gigs when he was around, including an Old U.S. Mint concert, which netted Brenner his Live at the Old Mint release in 2014.
Since Old Mint was an amalgam of covers and originals, Brenner vowed to do only his compositions next time with a few family music professionals, most notably son Nate (bass, synth) and daughter-in-law, vocalist Merrill Garbus of the nationally known art-pop duo tUnE- yArDs. Brenner’s Crawdads bandmates and various friends round out the studio talent.
Whether it’s the gentle prance of “Life is Precious” or the sensuous stroll of “Some Sexy Blues For Ya Right Here, Y’all,” Brenner slays it all in blues, jazz, and boogie-woogie with a sparkling, rich technique.
“Spring is Near” is epic enough to feel like a contemporary jazz classic, a la Chet Baker, with Kyle Quass’ trumpet playing and Garbus’ delightful vocals. But really, the lyrics and glowing melody are merely a vehicle for Brenner’s array of styles, such as a stride piano section followed by a boogie-woogie around the four-minute mark.
The comparably creative “Paradiddle Boogie” is based on the paradiddle drum rudiment, open stroke Left-Right-Left-Left-Right-Left-Right-Right that Brenner emulates rhythmically in a pulsating fashion. Before long, he launches into a soaring boogie-woogie before repeating the cycle a couple more times.
Interestingly, “For My Brother” is the only track of the eight that doesn’t showcase Brenner on the 88s. Instead, he’s only the composer, delegating to a classical string quartet for a serene and reverent interpretation.
As the disc’s title alludes to, conceptually many songs relate to the idea of transition, passing from one state to another, whether it’s musically, seasonally, or in life. From a listening standpoint, Passages is an enjoyable transition, even when it’s unpredictable.
