Royal Street is Raul Reynoso's first release as a leader, and from start to finish it's a real winner.Strong material and excellent playing are complimented by great production values and a warm sound.
While Raul is the leader and featured soloist, there is terrific musical team work on every track. Core backing is provided by The Rhythm Brothers' Doug Mattocks (rhythm and chord melody-style guitar Charlie Warren (bass,) and Dick Hardwick (drums). The Rhythm Brothers are augmented by the outstanding playing of violin legend Johnny Frigo and Bob Reitmeier's wonderful work on clarinet.
Seven of the thirteen tunes are original Reynoso compositions,two are Reinhardt classics (Daphne and Nuages), and three feature Raul's wonderfully western swing-flavored vocals. When it comes to guitar style, Raul definitely has the classic Reinhardt feel, but he achieves a much warmer sound than the thinner sound favored by many European gypsy jazz guitarists. His clean, lithe, articulate picking technique, honed by years of playing Bluegrass, is to die for.
Matelot, (a fine Reynoso original named for Reinhardt contemporary Pierre "Matelot" Ferret) is a terrific opener, with great energy and an understated rhythmic push. Raul and clarinetist Bob Reitmeier play the head in unison, and the solo work from fiddle legend Johnny Frigo and chord melody solo from guitarist Doug Mattocks is absolutely perfect. (Doug uses Carl Kress' unique D-B-G-C-F-Bb tuning). Raul's single note solo is ultra clean and melodic.
Exactly Like You is a thoroughly delightful toe-tapper an easy swing number with a short western swing-flavored vocal from Raul. The clarinet work is very tasty (especially the comping) and I like the clarinet and guitar trading solos. In addition to some fine rhythm guitar work, Mattocks plays a very tasty chord melody segment between Raul's second and third solos.
Waneta's Waltzis a minor-based piece in the classic gypsy jazz vein. I love the intro, which features Mattocks' strumming chords while Raul picks some rapid "note bursts," arpeggios and even a few harmonics. Johnny Frigo's unobtrusive violin work adds a nice touch, especially the way it wraps around Raul's warm, melodic main melody.
Royal Street begins as a sad sounding waltz, but with a twist beginning at the 1:50 mark. Though the melody is essentially the same, a tempo/meter change makes the tune decidedly more upbeat.
Blues for Dixie features another perfectly appropriate Reynoso vocal. Other highlights include Johnny Frigo's violin work and Mattocks' tasty chord melody fills. Daphne is one of Django's trademark tunes, and it gets a solid, toe-tapping treatment. Frigo's violin is very warm sounding and Mattocks' chord solo is mighty fine Raul picks up after Mattocks' solo and his work is infectiously melodic (downright joyful) with just the right number of "tricky notes," and more warm tone.
Any song that evokes Tico Tico is a winner in my book and Raul's Rhumba certainly does. There's some strong ensemble work in the tasty bridge section, with fiddle, guitars, and clarinet in close harmony. And I like the harmonic ending.
I'm Gonna Lock My Heart is another terrific toe-tapping vocal with plenty of fine instrumental moments. Raul's solo is appropriately low-key and capped off by a very nifty chord melody segment. I'm also fond of Johnny Frigo's comping, which has a western swing feel to it. Very nice.
Valse Marguerite is a lovely, dainty waltz that runs at 1:29. Subtle accordion backing (from David Jackson) adds a sitting-outdoors-at-a-Paris-café touch.
Dinah is a terrific, bouncy number. Often covered, this one always puts me in a good mood,as does Frigo's totally swinging, toneful violin work. And again, Mattocks contributes a superb chord melody segment.
Sambali (another catchy Reynoso original) concludes Royal Street, and its sound reminds me a bit of the Les Paul classic, Brazil. Raul picks in ultra clean and warm style. Bob Reitmeier's clarinet is the perfect contrasting solo instrument with a super-smooth and melodic sound. And the percussion work is perfectly understated -- subtle and very tastefully done.
Though he plays mandolin, banjo,(plectrum and tenor,) and a little bit of fiddle and bass, Raul's true forte is the guitar.
He used three guitars on Royal Street: an original 1940 Selmer Django Reinhardt Model (Serial #485) he acquired about ten years ago; a Maurice Dupont Selmer; and an Ibanez Maccaferri copy. His first "quality" guitar was a Takamine D28 copy. He also had an early B.C. Rich D-28 style instrument (with Brazilian rosewood) specially built.Other instruments Raul plays regularly are his 1943 Martin D-18,a Santa Cruz Tony Rice Model (which he played at Disneyland) and a beautiful 1932 Martin OM-28. He also has a 1937 Gibson ES15O (with a great-sounding Charlie Christian pickup) complete with a matching Gibson amp.