| March 2008Though Laverne
Christie is probably not well known outside Las Vegas, where she is employed by Caesars
Palace, this CD should go a long way toward rectifying that oversight. For her recording
debut, Ms Christie decided to go with the tried-and-true jazz trio -- albeit one with her
hollow-body Gibson electric guitar as lead voice instead of the usual piano. Her
companions here are jazz newcomer Mark Ruben on bass and veteran Mike Candito on drums.
The trio demonstrates that they have the chops to capture and hold attention; the material
chosen goes a long way toward achieving this goal. Beside the standard Tin Pan Alley songs
that all jazz musicians play at one time or another, there is a good number of tunes by
jazz legends. Thelonious Monk, Gerry Mulligan, Charlie Parker, Herbie Hancock, and Benny
Goodman are all represented. Christie’s guitar offers a comfortable yet different
voice to express this familiar music.
The sound Quiescent has achieved is full, rich and
detailed. Christie’s guitar is center front and offers a nice balance between plucked
string and body. Ruben’s bass is deep, firm and tight. Candito’s drums snap and
his cymbals shimmer. The only fly in the ointment is that the three musicians are grouped
solely between the speakers, thereby ensuring a crowded soundstage. Such sound is more in
line with what you’d hear at a jazz club, so it is more a characteristic than a bona
fide flaw.
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Laverne Christie Trio - East of the
Sun, West of the Moon
