For those unaware, there are some musicians who earn the label “a players player”. Individuals who possess a quality and integrity that peers look up to, not for mere bursts of blazing notes or chops, but for the perfection of their performances and the joy they bring. Such a musician is West coast based Jazz journeyman guitarist Doug MacDonald.

“I’ve simply never lost my love affair for warm notes, a good standard and striving for the best performance”, states the guitarist. In that regard, MacDonald’s musicianship evokes thoughts of such artists as Chet Baker and Sinatra, to name a few, who performed and excelled in a particular style their entire careers while keeping it fresh for their audiences time after time.

Back in May 2012, he assembled a trio of LA area jazz musicians to perform at the Beverly Hills Art Show. Their drummer, Billy Paul, happened to record this gig and upon listening to the tracks, MacDonald was blown away by the hard, crisp energy of our performance.

1. Samba De Orfeo (Luis Bonfa) [5:05]
2. Unimpressed (Doug MacDonald) [5:06]
3. Mall Blues (Doug MacDonald) [4:23]
4. The Night Has A Thousand Eyes (Jerry Brainin) [8:00]
5. Early In The Morning (Louis Jordan) [4:01]
6. Baubles, Bangles and Beads (Robert Wright) [6:23]
7. Yesterdays (Jerome David Kern) [4:53]

Jam packed with a fresh spontaneity of this aforementioned moment in time, MacDonald and his pals open their new recording on the rhythmically upbeat Luiz Bonfa classic Samba De Orfeo and the spatially tonal Unimpressed and then we get the instinctively melodious Mall Blues, an impassioned The Night Has A Thousand Eyes, the Schoch vocalized, blues-imbibed Early In The Morning, the set rounding out on an effectively resonant Baubles, Bangles and Beads, coming to an all-too-soon close on the emotionally reflective Yesterdays.

Musicians:
Doug MacDonald – Guitar
Lou Schoch - Bass/Vocals
Billy Paul - Drums