Is Bobby Keyes Out For This Tour??
Date: July 17, 2005 05:32
Stones songs get jazz treatment on Ries album
Sat Jul 16,12:06 PM ET
NEW YORK (Billboard) - The timing may be a bit off, but saxophonist Tim Ries is still psyched about his new CD, "The Rolling Stones Project" (Concord Jazz).
Originally scheduled for earlier this year, the album will see the light of day Aug. 9 -- when he's right in the middle of a monthlong rehearsal for the Rolling Stones' world tour, which kicks off Aug. 21 in Boston.
On his third tour with the band, Ries won't have much time to support his album, a spirited collection of Mick Jagger-Keith Richards songs given a jazz treatment. Shortly before traveling to Toronto and Japan with his own band, Ries says, "When the album comes out, I'll be working with the Stones, but because of the tour there might be a buzz about my album."
There already is in Japan, where "The Rolling Stones Project" was released May 18 on Sony Japan jazz imprint Village Records and sold 10,000 copies in two weeks.
The CD features a who's who of top-drawer jazz artists, including pianist Bill Charlap, guitarist Bill Frisell, bassist John Patitucci and drummer Brian Blade. Vocalists include Sheryl Crow, Luciana Souza, Lisa Fischer and Norah Jones, who appears on a version of "Wild Horses."
The bonus guests include Stones Charlie Watts, Richards and Ronnie Wood, who all contribute to "Slippin' Away" and "Honky Tonk Woman." When Ries first started working on the project, he sought the Stones' blessing and received it enthusiastically. "Charlie wanted to be on it, then Keith and Ronnie," Ries says, "and then it snowballed into something bigger than I ever imagined."
Reuters/Billboard