Trombone Shorty
Parking Lot Symphony
Release Date: Apr 28, 2017
Genre(s): Jazz, R&B, Funk, Neo-Soul, New Orleans R&B
Record label: Blue Note
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Album Review: Parking Lot Symphony by Trombone Shorty
Great, Based on 4 Critics
Based on rating 8/10
On his fourth studio effort and first for Blue Note Records, 2017's Parking Lot Symphony, New Orleans singer, songwriter, and brass wizard Troy Andrews (aka Trombone Shorty) fully embraces the organic '70s-style R&B he's heretofore only touched on. Ever since officially debuting in 2010 with Backatown, Andrews has moved ever closer to that '70s soul aesthetic with each subsequent album. Backatown even featured contributions from both Lenny Kravitz and legendary New Orleans pianist Allen Toussaint.
Based on rating 4.0/5
A horn player from New Orleans, Trombone Shorty is easily pigeonholed as a jazz artist. But while he's always had a strong showing on the jazz charts, the music he makes isn't nearly so easy to pin down. Jazz is just one ingredient in his high-octane blend of rock, funk, and R&B. In fact, Parking Lot Symphony may be the most “jazz” thing he's released to date.
Based on rating 3/5
H is live show - a genre-busting invocation of New Orleans, from marching bands to dirty-south R&B - regularly raises hell on the festival circuit. But Troy Andrews, the trombonist, trumpeter and singer who trades under the name Trombone Shorty, has had difficulty reflecting this live appeal on LP. His debut for Blue Note sees the venerable label throwing everything at him in the hope that something sticks.
Opinion: Fairly Good
2017 marks the 30th anniversary of the death of bassist extraordinaire, JACO PASTORIUS. Commemorating his passing is Truth, Liberty & Soul - Live In NYC, a superlative, previously unissued live recording (**** Resonance). It finds Pastorius back in June 1982 fronting a 22-piece ensemble (including harmonica genius, the late Toots Thielemans) in the Big Apple's Avery Fisher Hall, offering widescreen renditions some of his key solo tracks, including Liberty City, Three Views To A Secret, and a 15-minute version of Okonkole Y Trompa.
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