Album Review
The cover of this independently released debut by Las Vegas based jazz guitarist Laverne Christie and her dynamic trio shows them checking under the hood of a vintage automobile somewhere out in the desert. The car may be stalled, but their approach to vintage music and jazz standards is smooth and enjoyable sailing all the way. A crisp and expressive string stylist in the pattern of her heroes Pat Martino and Wes Montgomery, Christie has quietly built an impressive career on the sidelines, playing everything from solo to combo to vocal accompanist and big band in Minneapolis/St. Paul, the San Francisco Bay Area, and now Vegas — where, among other things, she plays solo guitar for wedding services at Caesar's Palace. Her study of classical and fingerstyle jazz guitar as well as Brazilian music is definitely apparent in the sharp arrangements she creates with the veteran rhythm section of bassist Mark Ruben and drummer Mike Candito. She saves her most explosive work for the hard-edged samba jam "The Sunset Hour" later in the tracking, but has fun alternating moods to that point, starting with the briskly swinging "Stompin' at the Savoy," strutting coolly on vintage compositions from Herbie Hancock ("Dolphin Dance") and Charlie Parker ("My Little Suede Shoes") and finally reflecting gently throughout "Stardust" and the mid-tempo closer "Be My Love." Christie said that she put this album out herself because she didn't think any traditional record company would approach her — but in 2007, this stood out as a gem as strong as any release by a major jazz label.
