Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Eli Yamin and Evan Christopher: Louie's Dream: For Our Jazz Heroes

Eli Yamin and Evan Christopher: Louie's Dream: For Our Jazz Heroes

By Dan Bilawsky
March 18, 2013
View read count

Eli Yamin and Evan Christopher: Louie's Dream: For Our Jazz Heroes

Hero worship has long been a magnetic force that helps to draw in the next generation of musicians, yet this very concept is often pooh-poohed by a segment of the musical and artistic community. These people feel that new is always better, and that originality can't thrive if artists acknowledge their forefathers and wear their influences on their sleeves. Pianist Eli Yamin and clarinetist

Evan Christopher

clarinet
b.1969

" data-original-title="" title="">Evan Christopher have never bought into this line of thinking. On Louie's Dream: For Our Jazz Heroes, both men revel in the opportunity to pay tribute to their influences.

Yamin, who spent time learning the ropes from saxophonist

Illinois Jacquet

saxophone, tenor
1922 - 2004

" data-original-title="" title="">Illinois Jacquet, and Christopher, the native Californian who became New Orleans' favorite clarinet son, team up for a relatively low-key tribute to a short list of their idols. Crescent City giants, like trumpeter

Louis Armstrong

trumpet and vocals
1901 - 1971

" data-original-title="" title="">Louis Armstrong and clarinetist/saxophonist

Sidney Bechet

saxophone, soprano
1897 - 1959

" data-original-title="" title="">Sidney Bechet, and other jazz royalty, like the inimitable

Duke Ellington

piano
1899 - 1974

" data-original-title="" title="">Duke Ellington, get the expected nods here, but Christopher and Yamin don't simply play to expectations; they play to their likes, which apparently include piano individualist

Mary Lou Williams

piano
1910 - 1981

" data-original-title="" title="">Mary Lou Williams, poet

Amiri Baraka

vocals
1934 - 2014

" data-original-title="" title="">Amiri Baraka and saxophone legend

John Coltrane

saxophone
1926 - 1967

" data-original-title="" title="">John Coltrane. Barroom blues is at the root of their trip through Williams' "What's Your Story Morning Glory,"

Thelonious Monk

piano
1917 - 1982

" data-original-title="" title="">Thelonious Monk-ish ideals appear in muted form during Yamin's "Baraka 75," and Christopher's Coltrane tribute, "Impromptu," is as touching and tender as they come. These three songs successfully make the case that hero worship is not tantamount to audible plagiarism.

No figure completely dominates this session, but Ellington figures prominently in the mix. "The Mooche" gives Christopher a chance to tip his cap to clarinetist

Barney Bigard

clarinet
1906 - 1980

" data-original-title="" title="">Barney Bigard and the Ellingtonians; "Azalea" drifts on by in a dream state; and "Dancers In Love" bounds along and features some snapping retorts. Other album highlights include the rarity-of-a-title-track and Yamin's "It's The Way That You Talk," which comes off like some imagined collaboration between

Scott Joplin

piano
1868 - 1917

" data-original-title="" title="">Scott Joplin,

Dr. John

piano
1940 - 2019

" data-original-title="" title="">Dr. John and

Bob Dorough

vocals
1923 - 2018

" data-original-title="" title="">Bob Dorough.

Yamin and Christopher are torchbearers for a time long gone, but they aren't museum piece musicians. They each extend the traditions of this music in their own sweet way here, as they pay their respects the best way they know how: through song.

Learn more about our star rating system

Track Listing

Louie's Dream; The Mooche; You Gotta Treat It Gentle; It's The Way That You Talk; Don't Go Back On Your Raisin;; What's your Story Morning Glory; Azalea; My Jazz Hero; Baraka 75; Let His Love Take Me Higher; Impromptu; Dancers In Love; Louie's Dream Reprise.

Personnel

Eli Yamin

piano

Eli Yamin: piano; Evan Christopher: clarinet.

Album information

Title: Louie's Dream: For Our Jazz Heroes | Year Released: 2013 | Record Label: Self Produced

PREVIOUS / NEXT

Wislawa
< Previous

Nilson Matta's Black Orpheus
Next >

Eli Yamin Concerts

Oct 15 Wed

Claire Daly Lives!

Alianza Dominicana Cultural Center
New York, NY

Support All About Jazz

All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.