Plays Mister Rogers' Neighborhood Jazz

Its easy to take the warm, friendly jazz sound of Mister Rogers Neighborhood for granted, but we shouldnt. For over three decades beginning in 1968, the Pittsburgh-born pianist Johnny Costa served as the acclaimed shows music director, often playing live in-studio while host Fred Rogers sang the theme song and interacted with beloved characters like Mr. McFeely, Lady Elaine, and the Trolley. An urbane, technically gifted jazz stylist in the vein of his own idol Art Tatum, Costa helped define the shows smart but always welcoming tone. Rogers, also a talented jazz pianist and songwriter, championed Costa and together they felt that jazz was the perfect sound to encourage the creativity of the children watching the show. Costa brought that smart, creative vibe to the fore on his 1984 studio album, Plays Mister Rogers Neighborhood Jazz. The sixth and final release on Mister Rogers Neighborhood Records, the album found Costa playing songs from the show, all composed by Rogers himself, including the iconic opening and closing theme songs Wont You Be My Neighbor? and Its Such a Good Feeling. Also compelling are Costas takes on You Are Special, Sometimes People Are Good/Children Can, and Then Your Heart Is Full of Love. Joining him were his longtime rhythm section bandmates bassist Carl McVicker and drummer Bobby Rawsthorne. Together, they played in a swinging, highly articulated and lively fashion that was the epitome for sophisticated modern acoustic jazz. While the music Costa supplied for Rogers show was never anything less than hip, its no less impressive to hear him stretch out on these beloved songs. ~ Matt Collar

If jazzing something up means to make it more lively and more entertaining, then listeners who might run for their lives if the Mister Rogers Neighborhood show came on might be convinced that a fine jazz pianist such as Johnny Costa could make exciting music out of the Fred Rogers songbook. But, of course, one great thing about jazz musicians is that they can improvise great music based on just about anything. And if one can get beyond prejudice against the host who constantly changes his sweater, there is indeed swinging piano trio jazz galore on this record. Costa is an old-school stylist whose fingers are big enough to suggest Art Tatum, but who seems to have become contemplative and spacy in the Red Garland mode, perhaps an influence from the Land of Make Believe. All kidding aside, the long collaboration between host and show pianist was a fruitful one, and this disc -- although obviously not the most well-known or popular part of the legacy -- will be of interest to fans of jazz piano. An interesting challenge to Costa was the decision to do such a large number of tunes, and to keep the versions in the two- to three-minute realm. Normally a jazz piano trio would play numbers about double this length. Costa has to find ways of getting his personal touch into tracks that are sometimes just extended theme statements. ~ Eugene Chadbourne