Search - Virginia Mayhew :: Sandan Shuffle

A REAL FIND

Tony NYC | Brooklyn, NY USA | 01/17/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I first heard Virginia Mayhew at "The Garage", a club in the West Village in NYC. The first thing that stood out is her SOUND. That BIG, FULL sound that is so hard to find. She has her sound down. Period. Beyond that, she knows WHAT to play. Her solos are very creative but they don't let you forget what song you are listening to. I hate when players take a solo that has nothing to do with the song they are playing. She gels with the band the way Rouse did with Monk. This CD, "Sandan Shuffle" is amazing. I hear it differently every time I listen to it. She plays around with timing and does it right. Like playing "Let's Fall In Love" in 7/8 time. Who would ever think of doing that and even think that it would work. IT DOES. Same with Monterey Blues in 5/4. Great stuff. Keeps it very interesting but still very enjoyable at the same time.

She is also great on Soprano. The players Kenny Wessel on Guitar, Harvie S on Bass and Victor "Yahya" Jones on Drums are all great. The recording quality and mixing are also very good, which in many cases, ruins an otherwise great CD. None of that CD 101.9 "Bass in your Face" (as I call it) mixing here. This was recorded and mixed very well. The verdict? BUY IT ! ! ! ! !"