Cabin in the Sky
Hendrik Meurkens, chromatic harmonica; Bill Cunliffe, piano
Height Advantage (hendrikmuerkens.com)
Music from the Heart
Roger Davidson Quartet featuring Hendrik Meurkens
Soundbrush Records (www.soundbrush.com)
The common factor, of course, in these two recordings is, of course, chromatic harmonicist Hendrik Meurkens. According to publicity accompanying Cabin in the Sky, Meurkens and Cunliffe had long planned to get together for a recording which occurred June 26, 2015, and April 1, 2016. String arrangement on one number was added later.
Meurkens, German born of Dutch parents, immigrated to the US in his mid-30s. He spent time in Brazil where became entranced with Brazilian-style music. Meurkens is first-call chromatic harmonicist in the style of late Jean “Toots” Thielemans. This recording—with the exception of one strings-added number, “Afternoon,” a composition by Meurkens—is a mix of jazz standards and compositions both by Cunliffe and Meurkens. Numbers that are likely familiar to jazzfans include “Cabin in the Sky,” Joe Zawinul’s “Young and Fine,” “Invitation,” Bobby Gentry’s “Ode to Billie Joe,” Weill’s “Speak Low,” and Jobim’s “Wave.”
This recording will remind some jazz fans of the Thielemans and Bill Evans album, Affinity. And the current one doesn’t suffer by comparison. I’m pleased that these tw
