Twenty years ago, tuba player Jim Self teamed up with arranger Kim Scharnberg to pay tribute to what happened to 9/11 through My America. But now America seems even more divided, due to the contrasts in ideology between red and blue.
The new album "My America 2: Destinations" is another collaboration between the two and features some of Southern California's top jazz and studio musicians.
It is at the same time an homage to the places where Jim Self has lived and worked. In fact, Jim has played on the soundtracks of more than 1,500 films and hundreds of TV shows and records since 1974, through composer John Williams.
For example, you can hear him on those of "Jurassic Park," "Home Alone," "Home Alone 2 : Lost in New York" and "Hook. Also, he was the voice of the mother ship on 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind'.
The album opens with 'Chicago,' which carried an upbeat Dixieland arrangement, followed by Jimmy Webb's breezy 'By the Time I Get to Phoenix.' 'Kansas City' is a medley of 2 songs of the same title (Rodgers & Hammerstein is one, and Leiber & Stoller is the other), followed by Billy Joel's 'New York State of Mind,' on which Jim Self plays the fluba (a combination tuba and brace), an instrument he invented himself.
'King of Route 66' is again a combination of 2 tracks, namely 'King of the Road' and 'Route 66'. 'Blue Bayou Bossa' builds on that pattern, sensually mixing Roy Orbison's 'Blue Bayou' with Kenny Dorham's 'Blue Bossa'.
Randy Newman's 'I Love LA' is brought out in celebration, followed by 'Back Home Again in Indiana,' the Indiana University of Pennsylvania theme. Glen Miller's 'Chattanooga Choo Choo' is the next boogie-woogie, with Tony Bennett's 'I Left My Heart in San Francisco' following it.
'Washington Post Modern' brings John Philip Sousa's 'Washington' in a hip, postmodern version, and it is followed by the classic 'Georgia on My Mind.' Self closes with the self-composed 'S.L.O. Blues,' and that track is about the city of San Luis Obispo. His basset hound barks at the end of it.
Although America is in a difficult situation these days, this music transcends those issues.
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Jim Self
Tracks:
1. Chicago
2. By the Time I Get to Phoenix
3. Kansas City
4. New York State of Mind
5. King of Route 66
6. Blue Bayou Bossa
7. I Love LA
8. Back Home Again in Indiana
9. Chattanooga Choo Choo
10. I Left My Heart in San Francisco
11. Washington Post Modern
12. Georgia on My Mind
13. S.L.O. Blues
Credits:
Jim Self, F tuba, CC tuba, fluba, F “Jimbasso” and
BBb cimbasso
Kim Scharnberg, baton
Ron Stout trumpet, flugelhorn
Bill Booth trombone, euphoniums
Scott Whitfield, trombone
Phil Feather alto saxophone, English horn
Tom Peterson soprano & tenor saxophones
John Chiodini, guitars
Steve Fister, guitars
Bill Cunliffe, piano, melodica
Ken Wild, string bass, electric bass, fretless electric bass
Kendall Kay, drums
Brian Kilgore, percussion
Produced by Jim Self
Co-produced by Talley Sherwood
Arranged by Kim Scharnberg