Tom Culver at Duke's Place

If you're going to use "Duke's Place" in the title of your album, you'd better have the goods. That classic Ellington song is more than just a personal favorite--Colleen and I consider it our song. Duke Ellington has become an obsession of mine over the last few years, a result of a gentle straying from my be-bop origins into the masters of the Great American Songbook such as Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald and many more. Vocalist Tom Culver takes the "Duke's Place" mantel seriously as well. He knows to play it straight, to perform it in a way that could be considered contemporary in Ellington terms. He doesn't try to approach Ellington's music from a new angle or a novel approach. He has a pure and heartfelt respect for these songs.

Culver, who is based in LA, has that easy and slightly raspy croon that works so well with classic numbers such as "Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me," "Mood Indigo" and "I'm Just a Lucky So and So." Culver does so much more than merely sell the song, or suggest the idea that he's worthy enough to tackle these tunes. He sounds like a guy who's been singing Ellington for decades, and you'd better sit down and accept that. There's a flow to his vocals, a sense that he somehow goes into a trance and these lyrics just float out into the room.

Tom Culver at Duke's Place is so much more than just great and old-fashioned voice owning some of the greatest jazz ever composed. Produced by Mark Winkler, who's also well-known for his magic touch in the studio, this album also features an ensemble that might be familiar to you--pianists Rich Eames and Josh Nelson, drummer Kevin Winard, guitarist Larry Koonse, bassist Gabe Davis and sax player Ricky Woodard. There's a professionalism at play here, an idea that Culver's voice is the star and the only way to augment that is through impeccable performances from everyone else on stage. It's not a flashy group of musicians, it's an effective and well-chosen one.

Does it compare to all of the great Ellington LPs I have in my collection? That's not a fair question, of course. I think it's difficult to separate jazz performances from their historical significance, and there's a huge difference between creating something on the fly that is immortal and looking back on how a tune has evolved over the decades and putting forth your best effort. There is a flawless character to Duke's Place that might not supplant wild invention and daring, but sometimes it's quite enough to listen to a performer, like Tom Culver, who understands the material and how to interpret it correctly.