The Earl Klugh Trio, Vol. 1

• Artist: Earl Klugh Trio
• Rating:
• Release Date: 1991
• Total Time: 50:45
• Type: Instrumental
• Genre: Jazz

Review

A departure from the type of boring, innocuous elevator Muzak Earl Klugh is best known for, Earl Klugh Trio, Vol. 1 gives listeners a rare chance to hear the guitarist playing straight-ahead jazz. Some bebop musicians contend that playing dull background music year after year means you can kiss your bebop chops goodbye, but there's no evidence of that on this rewarding CD. With Klugh sticking to acoustic guitar and employing Ralph Armstrong on upright bass and Gene Dunlap on drums, someone who is best known for recording schlock offers tasteful and lyrical interpretations of such well known standards as "I'll Remember April," "Night and Day" and "One Note Samba." Klugh also excels on "Lonely Girl" (a beautiful but underexposed Neal Hefti piece) and pleasantly surprises by demonstrating that the theme from the '60s sitcom Bewitched and the Aretha Franklin hit "I Say a Little Prayer" (written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David) can work in an acoustic bebop setting. Undeniably, this is the best album Klugh ever recorded -- it's too bad it was a departure from his norm instead of a primary direction. ~ Alex Henderson, All Music Guide

Tracks

Track Title	Composers	Performers	Time
Bewitched	Howard Greenfield, Jack Keller	Earl Klugh Trio	(4:00)
Days of Wine and Roses	Henry Mancini, Johnny Mercer	Earl Klugh Trio	(5:24)
Insensatez (How Insensitive)	Vinícius de Moraes, Antonio Carlos Jobim	Earl Klugh Trio	(5:03)
Love Theme from "Spartacus"	Alex North	Earl Klugh Trio	(3:28)
I'll Remember April	Gene DePaul, Don Raye, Patricia Johnston	Earl Klugh Trio	(4:04)
What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?	Michel Legrand, Alan Bergman, Marilyn Bergman	Earl Klugh Trio	(6:01)
I Say a Little Prayer	Burt Bacharach, Hal David	Earl Klugh Trio	(4:46)
Night and Day	Cole Porter	Earl Klugh Trio	(5:42)
Lonely Girl	Neal Hefti, Redd Evans, Jay Livingston	Earl Klugh Trio	(5:13)
Too Marvelous for Words	Johnny Mercer, Richard Whiting	Earl Klugh Trio	(4:28)
One Note Samba	Jon Hendricks, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Newton Mendonça	Earl Klugh Trio	(2:36)

Credits

Earl Klugh (Guitar (Acoustic)), Earl Klugh (Guitar), Earl Klugh (Producer), Earl Klugh (Main Performer), Ralphe Armstrong (Bass (Acoustic)), Ralph Armstrong (Bass), Gene Dunlap (Drums), Randy Poole (Assistant Engineer), David Palmer (Engineer), Earl Klugh Trio (Performer), Meredith Lea Bailey (Art Direction), Meredith Lea Bailey (Design), Les Ward (Photography)