Mike Jones, Penn Jillette, Jeff Hamilton
Are You Sure You Three Guys Know What You’re Doing?
Capri Records
The title question is valid. After all, the Penn Jillette on the bass is the same guy who dues the comedy / magic act in Las Vegas with his silent partner, Teller. Why are these otherwise reputable jazz musicians hanging out with a magician? It seems weird, but Jillette has been playing music as a side hustle for decades. I have an album he recorded in the 1990s by a group called Bongos, Bass & Bob. Back then he was playing indie rock, but the point is, the big guy can really play bass.
The novelty of having Penn in the band wears off before the first track is over. There is nothing shocking here. Mike Jones leads this piano trio through a set of mostly standards. They open Are You Sure You Three Guys Know What You’re Doing? with the Gershwin classic “S’ Wonderful,” before hitting some Jobim with “The Girl from Ipanema” This is the sort of music I think of as NPR jazz. It’s well done and unthreatening. It’s got enough swing to not be called sellout, but not so adventurous as to scare off listeners during pledge drive.
All in all, Are You Sure You Three Guys Know What You’re Doing? is a pleasant way to chill out for a bit.
Capri Records • Never Mind The Sex Pistols, Here’s Bongos, Bass, And Bob
