Creole Love Call

by Ken DrydenSwedish trombonist and vocalist Nils Landgren joins forces with Joe Sample and friends in New Orleans for this studio session, which mixes up a hot gumbo of R&B, jazz, and Crescent City down-home fun. The play list draws from many styles, including works by local legend Allen Toussaint, Ray Charles, rocker Stephen Stills, and even Willie Nelson, as was as originals by Sample and one from jazz master Duke Ellington. The duet tracks are the most fun as Landgren shares the vocals with Ray Parker, Jr. ("Sittin' on the Dock of the Bay") and Charmaine Neville (on the funky "With You in Mind"). The guitar and percussion-heavy take of "Love the One You're With" leans more toward Stills' original conception than the Isley Brothers' overdone interpretation, though Sample's playful licks keep things loose and the heavy overdubs of the composer are missing in this version. The only dull track is the monotonous "I Can't Get Enough of Your Love," which wears out its welcome quickly. "Creole Love Call" adds the Piety Street Brass Band for a slightly modern twist on an early jazz favorite from the 1920s. When he's not singing, Landgren plays a mean trombone. Fortunately, this CD was completed several months before the unwelcome arrival of Hurricane Katrina.