Eighty Nine in Bloomington, MN

The debut album from beloved New Orleans saxophonist, clarinetist, and singer
Charlie Gabriel
, 2022's
Eighty Nine
is a warm and intimate showcase for the longtime
Preservation Hall
bandmember. Given
Gabriel
's over-seven-decade-long career -- one which has found him living in New Orleans and Detroit, working with luminaries like
Lionel Hampton
,
J.C. Heard
, and
Ella Fitzgerald
-- it's almost unfathomable that
(his age at the time of its recording) is his first album as a leader. Primarily a live and touring musician,
(who started out in the 1940s playing in his father
Manny Gabriel
's
Eureka Brass Band
at age 11) has been a key member of the
Preservation Hall Jazz Band
since 2006. While his work with
has found
bringing his New Orleans jazz roots to funk and Latin sounds, on
he takes a more stripped-down approach, applying his dusky tenor, clarinet, and vocals to his favorite jazz standards, including "Memories of You," "Chelsea Bridge," and a particularly enrapturing take on "I'm Confessin'." Poignantly, the album came together in the wake of his brother's death from COVID-19 in 2020. Mourning his sibling's passing,
sought the company of
bassist and bandleader
Ben Jaffe
. Initially forsaking music in favor of low-key chess games, they eventually started jamming, bringing along guitarist
Joshua Starkman
, drummer
Walter Harris
, and percussionist
Djallo Djakate
. While some cuts like "Stardust" are spare duets, others -- including "Three Little Words" and
's vibrant rendition of
the Neville Brothers
' "Yellow Moon" -- are more robust, evoking the Afro-Cuban sound of
's acclaimed 2018 record
Tuba to Cuba
. While it might have taken all 79 of
's performing years to make an album,
was well worth the wait. ~ Matt Collar