"Steel Guitar"

Nashville steel guitarist John Heinrich doubles on sax, giving him a unique insight into jazz. Unlike so many "jazz steel" albums, this studio set was performed with real jazz musicians. And on top of that, John Heinrich is an excellent jazz steel player and composer.

Tracks 1 though 6 are straight ahead jazz. John plays an Excel pedal steel, often doubling the melody in the "head" of the tune on sax or flute. The remaining two tracks are from John's recording archives, performed on an MSA Classic more than 20 years ago. John's own "Etude 1" composition, performed without accompaniment, is actually more classical than jazz, but it rounds out the CD nicely.

The packaging is a little funky and the album is shorter than most, but the music itself is a breath of fresh air. Ultimately, that's what counts. Any steel player with an interest in jazz should own this CD. 

1. Heavenly Blues *
2. Night in Tunisia
3. Ladybird
4. God Bless The Child
5. Steel-Flutage *
6. Take Five
7. A Minor Incident *
8. Etude 1 For The Pedal Steel Guitar *