Willie Nelson and Wynton Marsalis - 'Two Men With the Blues'

There's no question about it: Willie Nelson and Wynton Marsalis are two of the best, most well-respected artists in their respective genres. Nelson's voice lends itself exquisitely to the country blues, and Marsalis' trumpet is a smooth, fine instrument. Together, the duo made an excellent go of Two Men With the Blues.

Harmonica Versus Trumpet

The album opens with an excellent row between trumpet and harmonica as "Bright Lights Big City" (purchase/download) closes out. The two complementary instrumnets harmonize well together, but it's nothing compared to the back-and-forth match in "Basin Street Blues" (purchase/download). The instrumental play far eclipses the rest of the song on this particular tune. In fact, the whole tune comes across as a mere vehicle for the competition between trumpet and harmonica.

If ther's a number Marsalis most owns, that would be the second song in, "Night Life" (purchase/download) where his trumpet works through difficult arpeggios before growling at the very top and bottom, against a smooth walking bass line. Nelson's finest moment comes on his oft-performed version of "Georgia on My Mind" (purchase/download).

The New Folk-Blues

Another major highlight on the disc is "Rainy Day Blues" (purchase/download), which comes very close to using far too many instruments, but never quite crosses that line. Instead, the instrumentation is perfect and busy, simulating an onslaught of heavy raindrops, until Marsalis' solo takes it all away.

This isn't the standard folk-blues the way it used to be played. Instead, this record is a polished display of the gifts of two very polished contemporary artists. From Marsalis' well-timed trumpet solos to Nelson's turns on piano and harmonica, to the exceptional drum solo in "My Bucket's Got a Hole in It" (purchase/download), that reminds us of the drums as more than just a background beat-keeper—Nelson's country-folk cred and Marsalis' jazz cred stay strong and individual. Still, the collaboration brings out an energy not seen on so many contemporary releases.