The cover of
Jack Jezzro's album
Jazz Tastings: Light Jazz Guitar depicts a glass of red wine with the bottle just behind it. It's a good indication, if the album title didn't already do the trick, that this is functional music, intended to accompany a nice dinner or evening with friends, rather than focus the attention on the listening experience itself.
Jezzro is an accomplished guitarist, capable of taking standards like
Cole Porter's "Night and Day," Rodgers & Hart's "Dancing on the Ceiling," and
Thelonious Monk's "‘Round Midnight," and weaving some lovely improvisations around their melodies on his nylon-string acoustic guitar. Bassist
Jim Ferguson also gets look-ins to solo here and there, and drummer Jim White provides steady support.
Jezzro includes the occasional original to mix with the evergreens, and they fit in seamlessly. There isn't anything innovative here, but like a glass of wine from a good, old bottle, the album provides an expected pleasure. ~ William Ruhlmann