What happens when two great minds do, in fact, think alike? Apparently, they make an album of inspired and captivating jazz songs. “North Country Blue” is a new nine-track album from Seungyoung Hong and Paul Meyers. With Hong on bass and Meyers on guitar, they explore some wildly imaginative interplay between their instruments but still deliver accessible arrangements and melodies for everyone to appreciate.
What strikes initially is Hong’s ability to be so percussive with his bass that I actually end up forgetting that there aren’t drums driving these songs. Starting with the first track — perhaps the most recognizable jazz standard “Almost Like Being in Love” — Hong showcases a rhythm and dynamic range that pulls you in to listen closer. Simultaneously, Hong’s playing lays a foundation for Meyers to explore all possible melodies that would make Frederick Loewe envious that he played it so conservatively when writing the number for “Brigadoon” back in 1947.
The track listing goes on, with “All The Things You Are” and “Nocturne” painting stunning sonic soundscapes that play with your ear’s cognition of dissonance, meter and key changes. It’s absolutely worth noting that although there are plenty of melodic liberties being taken, they are remarkably tasteful and elegant. This is to be expected from two jazz lifers who couldn’t have taken their passion for the genre any more seriously — Hong holds a Doctor of Musical Arts from Eastman School of Music and Meyers a master’s in jazz guitar from the Manhattan School of Music.
“North Country Blue” is not only a beautifully executed jazz album ripe for deep focused listening, it is also a musical history lesson filled with references and inside riffs, traded back and forth between two master musicians and educators whose love of the genre radiates throughout the album.
