"These songs, heard this way, with this group -- that's never been done before. Whatever I'm doing, if you put Wynton and these guys around it, that brings it up to a different level. --Willie Nelson"
"An album whose enviably assured vibe pretty much drips out of the speakers." Billboard
"...the pairing of the grizzled country star and the suave jazz master is an unmitigated, ear-tickling success." Boston Globe
"Willie and Wynton may seem like an odd couple, but this live disc makes the country legend and jazz master sound like natural partners." Entertainment Weekly
"...what makes this vibrant session click so naturally is the collaborative spirit bonding these two great American artists..." Hartford Courant
"Impressive without being pretentious, Two Men possesses an urbane strut that's perfect for jazzheads--and their country cousins." Vibe
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Notes & Personnel Info |  | Personnel: Willie Nelson (vocals, guitar); Wynton Marsalis (vocals, trumpet); Mickey Raphael (harmonica); Walter Blanding (saxophone); Dan Nimmer (piano); Carlos Henriquez (upright bass); Ali Jackson (drums). | | TWO MEN WITH THE BLUES brings out both the jazziness that's long been a key element of Willie Nelson's sound (his standards album, STARDUST, remains one of his most acclaimed efforts) and the New Orleans-tinged, Louis Armstrong-esque bluesiness that's at the core of almost everything Wynton Marsalis has ever done (not counting that classical album!). Marsalis blows blistering, gutsy solos on Nelson's own classic tune "Night Life," and Willie sounds completely at home delivering a low-key version of the New Orleans jazz standard "Basin Street Blues." A version of the Ray Charles signature song "Georgia on My Mind" highlights the jazz-savvy chordal movement and country/blues base of the timeless composition. TWO MEN WITH THE BLUES is a successful sonic summit meeting, but the two camps represented were never truly that far apart to begin with. |
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