Hi
a new review for last Jim's CD on air on radiovinilemania in Italy

http://www.vinilemania.net/vJIMPEARCE.htm

Ciao ciao P

courtesy: http://www.allaboutjazz.com


Prairie Dog Ballet
Jim Pearce | Self Published (2006)
By Michael P. Gladstone

This effort by pianist/composer and bandleader Jim Pearce gives
maximum exposure to his songwriting ability. In my reaction to his
self-released album Thirty Year Waltz (2003), also comprised of all
originals, I expressed regret that Pearce didn't include any
standards or jazz standards, which would have offered listeners
familiar melodies.

This time around, however, Pearce contributes another eleven
originals that do indeed stand by themselves. The pacing of the
album and the music is just short of perfect. Two
ballads, "Unknowable Blue" and "One More Tomorrow," are among the
high points of the album, prominently featuring Joe Gransden on
trumpet and Eric South on tenor sax. "Tuckersamba" begins with the
whistle and propulsion of a street samba band, and on "Halfway
Home," Ken Gregory contributes a tasty guitar solo. Jim Pearce's
stamp is all over the album, between his probing comps, solid
playing and insightful solos.


Jim Pearce also supplies vocals on four tracks. The first two, "Why
Haven't I Got You" and "Now That You're Gone," have lyric messages
that are 180 degrees apart, and with quite clever lyrics, in Dave
Frishberg/Bob Dorough territory. Pearce sings them in a hipster
fashion as Frishberg or Dorough might, but he has some sort of minor
speech impairment which spoils the individual presentation.



Track listing: Prairie Dog Ballet; Why I Haven't Got You;
Tuckersamba; Unknowable Blue; Now That You're Gone; Gone Fishin';
Last Love; Happy Groove Tune; There's Just Something 'Bout You;
Halfway Home; One More Tomorrow.

Personnel: Jim Pearce: piano, vocals; Herman Burney: acoustic bass;
Paul Fallat: drums; Eric South: tenor and alto sax, flute; Joe
Gransden: trumpet; Ken Gregory: acoustic guitar; Rafael Pereira:
percussion.

Style: Mainstream/Bop/Hard Bop/Cool