Jazz CD of the Month: Corey Christiansen / Lone Prairie / Origin Records

In the last ten years a number of jazz artists have released recordings that attempt to fuse jazz and country music; these efforts have yielded results of varying success.  Guitarist Corey Christiansen's latest effort is without doubt an exception. Lone Prairie captures the mood of classic country and puts into a jazz context.  Wonderfully executed, the date features Christiansen's impeccable chops and the company of Steve Allee on keyboards, Zach Lapidous on keyboards, Jeremy Allen on bass, Matt Jorgensen on drums and Michael Spiro on percussion.  The listener will be treated to a program of classic country songs delivered with great sincerity such as "Dying Californian", "Streets of Laredo" and "El Paso".  Christiansen also submits a few well conceived originals to complete the session. It's a richly satisfying experience where guitarist Corey Christiansen makes the strongest statement of his career this far.  His four previous efforts as a leader have led to this date which is one of the finest of 2013. Based in Utah, Christiansen is also an accomplished educator with  dozens of books and instructional DVDs to his credit.  For more information on the artist you may visit  http://coreychristiansen.com/