A Light Jazz Duet

Bruce Von Stiers

Mason Razavi played in rock bands and studied jazz while attending the Berklee College of Music. Bennett Roth-Newell studied jazz greats like Monk and Brubeck while still in elementary school. Both of them have had varied careers in playing and recording music along with teaching it.

Razavi and Roth-Newell have played together as part of ensembles but had never had a collaborative effort. That is, until now. A couple of months ago the two of them released a duet album titled After You.

The album is on the First Orbit Sounds label. There are eight songs on the album and it has a play time of thirty-six minutes. On the album Razavi plays the guitar and Roth-Newell the piano.

Originally written and recorded for the album Clifford Brown And Max Roach, the Clifford Brown song Joy Spring has become kind a jazz standard. It receives a nice turn on this album

The second song on the album is an original composition by Roth-Newell. It is called Escaping the Inevitable. It is a soft and gentle piece, with both guitar and piano getting an equal amount of exposure.

After that is another Roth-Newell original, A Daughter Is A Gift To The World. This one too is slow and gentle, a bit more poignant than the previous song.

The two do a really nice job on the Joe Zawinul song Mercy, Mercy, Mercy. I've always liked the subtle groove of this song, which was written for Cannonball Adderley.

In the fifth position on the album was a song that Razavi wrote. It is called Will You? Guitar is up front in at the first of the song, with piano coming in after that.

Mixed Memories was written by Roth-Newell. It starts out slow and then moves into an almost bossa nova mode.

Razavi has a second composition on the album. It is called Through The Fog. It is yet another soft and gentle piece.

The song closing out the album was a bit of a pleasant surprise. The guys chose the Lennon/McCartney penned Beatles song Yesterday. This rendition has a bit more of a jazz groove than the original.

If you like your jazz light and gentle then After You would be perfect for your collection. Razavi and Roth-Newell showcase their talents well with this collaborative effort.

After You can be found at many online and traditional music retailers.

To learn more about the artists, you can visit their respective web sites at www.masonrazavi.com and www.bennettrothnewell.com

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© 2015 Bruce E Von Stiers