Irvin Mayfield & Ellis Marsalis - Love Songs, Ballads and Standards

 
A case study in how disparate generations can be united by a love of music, LOVE SONGS, BALLADS AND STANDARDS finds young-lion trumpeter Irvin Mayfield joining forces with elder-statesman pianist Ellis Marsalis. New Orleans natives both, Mayfield and Marsalis honor their city and the jazz tradition on this collection of standbys ("In a Sentimental Mood," "Round Midnight") and contemporary pop (Norah Jones's "Don't Know Why"). Mayfield lost his father in Hurricane Katrina (along with the original tapes for this album), and a sense of loss and mournfulness informs the more delicate passages. Marsalis's tasteful piano is the perfect complement to Mayfield's mellow, plaintive trumpet, and together they deliver an elegant, deeply felt, and enjoyable set.

According to Basin Street Records:At only 30 years old, Irvin Mayfield has quickly established himself as one of the most decorated and recorded Jazz musicians of his generation. Mayfield is a versatile trumpeter, bandleader, composer and arranger, recording artist, a passionate spokesman for the rich history and cultural significance of Jazz and the city that birthed it. Appointed the Cultural Ambassador of the City of New Orleans in 2003 by the United States Senate, Congress and other governmental agencies, his name has become synonymous with the still-unfolding legacy of America's only indigenous music