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| Two Men With The Blues | 
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| Artist: Willie Nelson/wynton Marsalis
Label: Blue Note Records
Category: Music
List Price: $18.98
Buy New: $7.59
You Save: $11.39 (60%)
New (40) Used (17) from $5.99
Avg. Customer Rating:  70 reviews
Sales Rank: 248
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 5.6 x 5 x 0.5
EAN: 5099950445424
ASIN: B0016NF06O
Release Date: July 8, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Tracks:
| • | Bright Lights, Big City - Willie Nelson, Reed, Jimmy | | • | Night Life - Willie Nelson, Nelson | | • | Caldonia - Willie Nelson, Moore, Fleecie | | • | Stardust - Willie Nelson, Carmichael, H. | | • | Basin Street Blues - Willie Nelson, Williams, Spencer | | • | Georgia on My Mind - Willie Nelson, Carmichael, H. | | • | Rainy Day Blues - Willie Nelson, Nelson, Willie | | • | My Bucket's Got a Hole in It - Willie Nelson, Williams, Clarence | | • | Ain't Nobody's Business - Willie Nelson, Porter, Grainger | | • | That's All - Willie Nelson, Travis, Merle |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com
Two Men with the Blues is no more a jazz album than a blues album. It's neither jazz returning home, nor blues wandering out. What Willie Nelson and Wynton Marsalis have created is a compilation of jump-blues standards with arrangements that compliment both genres. While most of the album is careful not to take itself too seriously, there are a few tracks that seem to plod on for ages. The live set kicks off with the upbeat "Bright Lights, Big City," on which Marsalis' horn is crisp and full. "Ain't Nobody's Business" and "Basin Street Blues" are arranged slower than better known versions but still fit the album's context. Nelson and Marsalis's take on "Stardust" comes off as a bit too "Sinatra" for Nelson's thin vocal, while "Georgia on My Mind" just doesn't work at all. Still, the things that work, work well. "Night Life" and "Rainy Day Blues" are particular stand-outs, and "Caldonia" is a faithful homage to the Louis Jordan original (minus Jordan's screaming punch line, of course). The album ends riding high on closer "That's All," with its straight-out-of-a-New-Orleans-Baptist-church feel. Both Nelson and Marsalis are notorious for collaborating with other artists. Therefore, it seems only natural that they've found themselves on a project together. Overall, this set is well worth the wait. --Eric C.P. Martin
Album Description
The event was simply billed as "Willie Nelson Sings the Blues," but the historic two-night stand on January 12 and 13, 2007 at Jazz at Lincoln Center was far more than that. Call it a summit meeting between two American icons, Willie Nelson & Wynton Marsalis, two of the most significant figures in modern-day country and jazz, who discovered common ground in their love for jazz standards and the blues. Their performance stirred the sounds of New Orleans, Nashville, Austin and New York City into a brilliantly programmed mix that was equal parts down-home and cosmopolitan, with plenty of swing and just a touch of melancholy. To say that these shows were a hot ticket would be an understatement. Luckily, the tapes were rolling and the results of this unique collaboration now constitute the Blue Note album Two Men With The Blues for everyone who couldn't cram into The Allen Room. Featuring great playing from one of the hottest bands around these classic tracks are given new life by the extraordinary dual talents of Willie Nelson and Wynton Marsalis. At a time when most people are thinking of retirement, Willie has never been busier. His profile has been high in recent weeks with his various career retrospective releases and sold out tour and this album can rightly stake it's place alongside anything else he has done. Wynton rarely sounds so relaxed and both of these musical giants are clearly having the time of their lives together on these new interpretations of some of the greatest songs of the 20th century.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 65 more reviews...
 It's all fun ! A mandatory "buy". July 8, 2008
52 out of 55 found this review helpful
In early 2007 two of contemporary American music's greatest icons, jazz trumpeter and composer Wynton Marsalis and country music legend Willie Nelson, teamed up for a couple of unforgettable nights at New York's Lincoln Center.
Both love the blues, and love to play it over-easy, Nelson's vocal staying light and playful.
This album is the souvenir from those evenings. What you don't get is the sight of two aging legends twinkling convivially at each against the night lights of Manhattan, without which the flowering of audience applause around each solo is a little frustrating...
The pair are backed by a crack five-piece band firing on all cylinders - saxophonist Walter Blanding, pianist Dan Nimmer, bass man Carlos Henriquez, harmonica player Mickey Raphael and Ali Jackson on drums.
There are all kinds of blues - downhearted, rude, even goodtime blues. The sort on this recording could be called country blues, because of the presence of Willie Nelson. There are also several party blues, and quite a few pieces, such as "Stardus"t and "Georgia on My Mind", that aren't blues at all.
But the main point is that it's all fun. Nelson, from Texas, and Marsalis, from Louisiana, have no trouble finding common ground. The latter contributes some majestic playing, in the manner of Louis Armstrong. Altogether, as with some of the best blues, this doesn't make you sad, it makes you feel better.
Nelson has always been ready to take on challenges. Here, he turns on the downhome charm, as he joins Marsalis's compact group for a set that has the unpretentious aura of a jam session.
Nelson's vocals on "Stardust" are a touch brighter than Hoagy Carmichael may have intended but the effect is leavened by a smokey, gently twisting trumpet line full of yearning beauty courtesy of Marsalis. Another Nelson standard, "Georgia On My Mind", has a sweet, subdued but compelling intimacy and could legitimately lay claim to the title of ultimate standout track on an album of standout tracks.
Peak of the album: the heady, hard-core blues-ballad rendition of "Night Life", "Caldonia", which swings amiably and "Bright Lights, Big City", which exudes the requisite swagger.
A mandatory buy.
Moment Of Forever
From The Plantation To The Penitentiary
Historic: American Masters at Play July 9, 2008
37 out of 42 found this review helpful
Everyone knew that this summit of master musicians would be special. The session was recently broadcast on National Public Radio's Jazz at Lincoln Center, and as we already have an Amazon video excerpt of the event, we can expect to see the entire meeting on PBS, with DVD as pledge gift. The CD, however, has had the opportunity for further electronic mixing and improvements by Delfeayo Marsalis and Jeff Jones. So what can we say about the quality of the music and the personalities? How many superlatives are there? But you first must be a Willie Nelson fan and you must be a jazz enthusiast who honors Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Jazz folk for their precision and urban sophisticated development of New Orleans roots. Thus if you are among that very large number of music lovers, you must own this recording. Even the insert notes and photos are nicely done. As for the selections, we have Nelson's own oft recorded theme song, Georgia on My Mind, and we also have Stardust, which was included in the album of the same title that demonstrated that Nelson was more than a country singer; indeed that album is his all-time best seller. I, however, enjoyed Rainy Day Blues and the other tunes that follow, which are what the album is supposed to be about: the blues. This album is simply fun. You will love it.
 Willy is the weak link July 17, 2008
31 out of 47 found this review helpful
I was saddened in listening to this album. Two of my most favorite artists, whom I have enjoyed their entire careers, come together to create an album to covet for years to come. The unfortunate part of this is that Willy's voice is slowly disappearing. Although clear in his vocals, he has reached that stage in life when he "speaks" the words, holding almost no notes for longer that a few seconds, demonstrating almost no vibrato at all. I have noticed this trend over his last few albums, and it takes away from the vocal aspects of the album. The blues component is second-to-none, strikingly presented, and Wynton does not disappoint, nor do the other band members! An average effort at best.
Somewhere Between Austin & New Orleans July 9, 2008
12 out of 14 found this review helpful
There is a happy medium between Willie and Wynton, and it is on the dusty bayou roads that link these two icons. The delta Blues Sound is unmistakable. Miles Davis once said that he enjoyed listening to Willie Nelson because he had a jazz sense to his music. Wynton Marsalis must have heard this because he has proven that theory is correct. Nonetheless this is enjoyable music, I can't stop listening to this CD. Think Billie Holliday replaced by Willie's Texas twang. Songs like "Basin Street Blues" and "Rainy Day Blues" are awesome.
Joining the 2 Men' are Willie's harmonica player Mickey Raphael, and Wynton's band Walter Blanding on sax, Dan Nimmer on piano, Carlos Henriquez on bass & Ali Jackson on drums.
Buy this CD now! A must have for not only fans of these 2 men, but those who want to further their history of American music!
 Where Two Great Talents Went Wrong August 10, 2008
10 out of 12 found this review helpful
What a disappointment! Winton Marsallis is a superb musician, a virtuoso without peer who hits all the right notes and has smart charts. But he has no heart. His playing his formal, cold, and uninvolved. I should have expected that. But Willy Nelson? We know he's got heart and soul and humor. But here he appears so fearful of losing his supercool persona that he's just casually phoning in the performance. Willy, there's a difference between subtle understatement, and just barely getting the words out. Reviewers have compared this pairing to the incredible sessions of Louis Armstrong and Jimmy Rodgers 70 years ago-- the ultimate summit where jazz and blues met "country and Western". That unwarranted comparison got my hopes up. But Rodgers and Armstrong had more than musical skill --they had electricity, magic, and heart. Winton, you're no Satchmo and never will be. And WIllie, please try staying awake next time.
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