United by dalliances with purism as young men and an abiding love of classic blues and jazz,
Eric Clapton and
Wynton Marsalis are a more comfortable fit than it may initially seem. Both musicians are synthesists, not innovators, stitching together elements from their idols in an attempt to preserve the past while bringing it into the present, so their sensibilities are aligned and, in 2011, they're amenable to a partnership that explores their common ground. So,
Clapton and
Marsalis held a series of concerts at New York City's
Jazz at Lincoln Center in April of 2011, the guitarist selecting the songs (apart from "Layla," performed upon the request of bassist
Carlos Henriquez), the trumpeter picking the band and working up the arrangements, using
King Oliver's
Creole Jazz Band as his template yet finding room for piano and, of course, guitar.
Clapton's choice of songs leans heavily toward the '20s -- so much so that the dip into postwar electric blues via
Howlin' Wolf's "Forty Four" feels a bit of a shock -- and the arrangements are faithful to classic New Orleans jazz yet loose, never quite hidebound to tradition and finding plenty of space for every one of the players to roam;
Clapton and
Marsalis surely solo plenty, but so do trombonist
Chris Crenshaw, clarinetist
Victor Goines, and pianist
Dan Nimmer. There's not much ego on display -- even the inclusion of "Layla" doesn't feel forced, thanks to
Marsalis' inventive New Orleans funeral arrangement of this overly familiar tune -- but the joy is palpable and the chemistry natural. Compared to
Wynton's duet albums with
Willie Nelson, this is both more traditional and riskier, and compared to
Clapton's latter-day duets with
B.B. King and
J.J. Cale, this finds the guitarist none too deferential. These are consummate musicians united by playing music they love, and their passion resonates so strongly it's hard not to enjoy
Clapton and
Marsalis playing the blues. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine
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