Shock Treatment – Now Spin This!/Dig Mel Henke

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Now Spin This! is Mel's second album for Contemporary – and every bit as great as the first! The album features Mel on piano, working in quartet format with guitar, bass, and drums – playing lively and playful arrangements of familiar tunes, in a mode that was similar to the live performance style that made Mel a popular act for years in LA. The mode is a fun one – but not too silly – and the tracks have a fresh swing that's quite surprising! Titles include "Toccata", "Little Rock Getaway", "In A Little Spanish Town", "Frenzied Flight", "Cocky Coo Coo Clock", and "Tea For Two". Vaguely modern, always entertaining – Mel Henke was one of those LA luminaries who sparkled in the scene in tinseltown, yet never really made it out of the west coast jazz universe. Dig Mel Henke is an early album for Contemporary, a great little set – playful, pyrotechnic, yet handled with a swinging jazz approach that makes it more appealing than some of Henke's later work for other labels. The group's a quartet with guitar, bass, and drums next to Henke's piano – and the album features some wonderful arrangements of tunes that include "Where Or When", "Nola", "Four Deuces", "The Man I Love", "Liza", and "Dream A Little Dream On Me".  © 1996-2024, Dusty Groove, Inc.