Two decades after he became known as a sophisticated master of the Great American Songbook upon his first release, jazz vocalist Russ Lorenson has returned with "A Little Travelin' Music (20th Anniversary Edition)," a remastered and reimagined version of the original 2006 album. Instead of simply remastering, Lorenson revisits the album at a foundational level and draws upon 20 years as an artist to rework, reconstruct, and recreate many essential components of the recording.
Lorenson's warm baritone and storytelling sensibility remain at the forefront, now complemented by a fuller, more natural-sounding sonic palette across 11 tracks totaling 44 minutes and 18 seconds. Many of the selections have new mixing or just a few fine, yet judicious, reconstructions, extra care for musical veracity. Significantly, some parts of the original digital piano are replaced with an acoustic grand piano, adding to the warmth and straight-ahead jazz character that defines this anniversary edition.
"Come Fly with Me / Let's Get Away from It All," where a shimmering undersong of sleek get-out-the-door jazz breaks out over the first five songs. "I Love Paris" shines romantically, and "The Air-Headed Executives" brings whimsy, while the classic "Fly Me To The Moon (In Other Words)" demonstrates Lorenson's skill with jazz phrase playing built to last. The regional charm and personality of "Rhode Island Is Famous for You" give way to a cinematic mood, with classic vocal jazz tradition, in the two-piece suite "A Foggy Day in London Town / A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square."
Halfway through, "Gay Paree" affirms the album's cosmopolitan ethos before retreating inward with the exhausting yet grounding emotional clarity of "Home to Stay." The album ends with a tender reading of "I Left My Heart in San Francisco," perhaps an appropriate closing statement that reflects on memory, place, and artistic identity.
With "A Little Travelin' Music (20th Anniversary Edition)," Lorenson not only revisits his past, but he also polishes it. The result is a bold, grown-up declaration that pays homage to the original but also showcases the complexity of an artist steeped in and honing the jazz tradition he has avoided new paths with for twenty years now.
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