I have been a big fan of Jim Manley's playing and friendship for close to 15 years now!! I have always admired his pyrotechnics on the horn in the Maynard fashion that am sure many of you have as well. Recently I obtained a copy of Jim's latest cd "Eight" and my initial reaction was, "Who locked him in the woodshed and threw away the key?"

I have all the previous JM works and certainly have my favorites but the key component to my love of his latest is his ability as a jazz player.I always thought of JM as a good jazz player with nice idea's and superior command of the registery, but this is a beautiful example of what some shed time produces, and when asked about it!! After I heard it, admittedly stated, this work was all about playing a great jazz CD inspired solely by the Boss!!!
Cuts like "I'll Be Seeing You", "Come Rain or Come Shine", "Just Friends", and my long time favorite song the Perry Mason theme, along with Stella B.S. And another favorite "My Romance"..........

One can hear Boss's influence thru each and every cut of this CD, get a copy and see for yourself. To listen to the works created by Mayn's influence by Jim, Wayne, Eric, Carl and a host of others I know would make him very happy...... I can just hear that big laugh I used to hear so often even now as I write this!!!