Crossing, The

Former Hue & Cry member pianist Brian Kellock teams up with modern blues troubadour Tam White for a play list highlighted by White originals, 1950s and 1960s King Curtis and Jim Croce, a couple of standards, and tunes by British rocker Boz Burrell. Both performers come from Scotland, where this album was cut. Kellock has blossomed into one of the U.K.'s premier piano players, having shared the stage with such jazz celebrities as Red Rodney, Sheila Jordan, Art Farmer, and Charlie Rouse. White has been working the blues boards for many years. The play list is made up mostly of songs which tell sad tales and tug at the heartstrings, such as "Fool" and "The Water Is Wide," which White delivers in a steady, soft, flowing baritone. Now and then matters perk up with a rouser. King's crossover, "It Should Have Been Me," is favored by such disparate performers as Gladys Knight and Neil Diamond. White and Kellock get downright upbeat on Croce's story about a man who has forsworn virtually all human pleasures because he's a "Careful Man." But most tunes fall into the same category as "Broadway Rose," sorrowful stories delivered in a melancholy manner by White. Kellock's piano artistry is showcased on a Frank Sinatra medley, "This Love of Mine"/"Nancy." White sits out on the first half of the medley but comes in on "Nancy," which he delivers much like others who from time to time find themselves called upon to sing a well-known standard which really isn't their forte, à la Willie Nelson or John Denver. Overall, this is a well-crafted session put together by two masters of their trade and is recommended. ~ Dave Nathan|