Marty Grosz is a fine guitar player and singer, and has earned a solid rep as a purveyor of classic jazz styles. He's joined on Marty Grosz and His Hot Combination by a number of other players associated with classic styles, including clarinetist
Ken Peplowski and trumpeter
Jon-Erik Kellso. The main idea of the album, then, is fairly straightforward: surround yourself with great players, choose a handful of standards, and play your heart out. The collection begins with a spry, instrumental take on Dave Ringle and
Duke Ellington's "Alabamy Home" before delving into a fine vocal version of
Harold Adamson and
Walter Donaldson's "Did I Remember?" The track list includes lots of love songs and a neat take on "Just a Gigolo," revealing that
Grosz has a romantic sensibility tinged with humor. The only item that distracts from the proceedings is
Grosz's lengthy spoken introductions to "Just a Gigolo" and "English Blues." While both are more like funny monologues than introductions proper, they're too long and serve to interrupt the flow of music. Otherwise, Marty Grosz and His Hot Combination is a lovely album that reveals how joyful jazz was before the modern era. ~ Ronnie D. Lankford, Jr.