Willie Nelson

Maybe this particular collaboration between one iconoclastic great from country and one revered great from jazz should have been titled Two Dudes Chilling Out. That would've captured the feel of this amazingly relaxed live record taped at Lincoln Center in 2007 much better than its real name, which doesn't quite reflect the smoothly improvisational vibe that colors the whole thing.

Neither Nelson nor Marsalis appears to have the blues at all, nor should they. Both of them have settled into their elder statesmen roles for their respective genres, and this collection of standards—which isn't exactly groundbreaking even in the choice of songs—is a chance for them to have a little fun in a low-key vein. Nelson's beach-glass voice, rubbed soft and smooth by the years, is in wonderful form, but it's been a while since he really strained it. Likewise, Marsalis's tone, and that of the rest of the instrumentalists, is beautifully rendered and recorded. However, if you were at this performance, you might not feel too terrible getting up to freshen your drink, confident that, when you returned, the band would still be riding the same tranquil line.

"Caldonia," the shortest track here, is also one of few that contain some kick, and while it won't revolutionize anyone's conception of swingy, big-band-style jazz, it at least hops around with some sprite in its step. Still, with a book, a squishy armchair, and a cognac, Two Men with the Blues would be pretty ideal accompaniment.

—Hillary Brown
07.16.08