COMPACT DISC REVIEW

By

Jack Rummel

 

 

Show Stoppers

Neville Dickie, piano

PianoMania CD 1001

 

Jeepers Creepers / Old Fashioned Love / South Side Strut / Ballin’ the Jack / So Different Blues / The Lady’s In Love With You / Sunday / Poodlin’ With Pat / Memories of You / Golden Earrings / All By Myself / Anitra’s Dance / Sweet Substitute / I May Be Wrong / Getting to Know You / Squeeze Me / You Took Advantage of Me / Keep Your Temper / That’s All! / I’ll Always Be In Love With You / Rosetta.

 

            Consistency and quality are certainly words that can be used to describe any Neville Dickie performance.  Rock solid rhythm at any speed, a respect for the melody, a bottomless bag of tricks, and executions that are always flawless are hallmarks that we’ve come to expect from him, whether it be in concert or on any one of his many recordings.  It’s no surprise that they’re all to be found on this latest CD.

 

            The title may seem a bit misleading, in case you were thinking it referred to wall-to-wall tracks all taken at blinding speed.  Instead, it’s a glorious mix of slow ballads, bouncy blues, pop standards and white-hot stride, all infused with heaping helpings of syncopation.  Perhaps a better title might by “Plays Requests,” for about 40% of the tunes have appeared on previous releases and might well be common requests from his many fans.  If the title refers to anything it would be to Dickie himself, for he is a show stopper, bringing audiences out of their seats wherever he performs.

 

            The sound is intimate and, while there is no information on the piano, it has the tone of a concert instrument.  PianoMania’s recent releases have lacked any specifics about the playlists, their website referring the purchaser instead to the internet where any of today’s search engines can instantly retrieve the desired information.  What’s crucial is the music, and it’s all there in vibrant stereo.

 

Consistency has its problems for a reviewer, however, especially since this is the 14th recording by Neville Dickie to reside in my library.  What else can be said that hasn’t previously been written about this man?  Perhaps just to close by saying that if you already own one of his CDs you will know what to expect and you’ll not be disappointed.  If you’ve never owned a Dickie disc, this would be a perfect one with which to begin what could become an addiction.

 

Available for $18.00 postpaid from PianoMania Music, P.O. Box 1258 Rocklin , CA 95677 .  If you prefer to use a credit card, please go to <www.jazzbymail.com>.