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Willie Nelson and Wynton Marsalis, "Two Men with the Blues" (Blue Note)

There's a newcomer to the jazz scene by the name of Willie Nelson.

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There's a newcomer to the jazz scene by the name of Willie Nelson. Prediction: He's going to be big.
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Prediction: He's going to be big.

"Two Men with the Blues" features Wynton Marsalis and his quartet with Nelson and his harmonica player, Mickey Raphael, during a two-night stand recorded in January 2007 at Jazz at Lincoln Center. The site is New York City, but the music is New Orleans jazz and R&B, with only occasional nods to Nashville and Austin.

The question is not why Nelson chose to record this sort of album, but why he waited so long. His distinctive phrasing and easy delivery make him a natural jazz vocalist, as he has long showed when covering pop standards, and the gravity-defying intervals he sings are perfect for the genre.

Nelson's unorthodox style might lead a lesser band over the cliff, but Marsalis and company mesh with their vocalist beautifully. Marsalis is in top form as a soloist and in tandem with saxophonist Walter Blanding, and Raphael turns out to be a darned good Dixieland harpist.

Less successful is guitarist Nelson. Although there's a certain rustic charm to his rudimentary solos, his picking sounds out of place here. But when he sings, all is forgiven.

CHECK THIS OUT: Nelson has been singing "Stardust" for more than 30 years, and he can still wring every ounce of emotion out of the Hoagy Carmichael tune. If his performance doesn't raise goose bumps, Marsalis' solo will.