Tasty Puddin' by Justin Thompson

He won Nashville's "Starving Artist Award" for best male artist of 2002 and 2003, and Nashville's Rage Magazine named Tasty Puddin' as one of the top ten CDs of 2002. It also received a five star review from DiscoveringArtists.com.

Although Tasty Puddin' is his debut as a solo artist, Justin is well known in Nashville as one of the city's top guitarists; performing with John Hartford, Riders in the Sky, David Grier, Mandy Barnett, Greg Garing, Kathy Chiavola, The Nashville Mandolin Ensemble, Annie Sellick and the Gypsy Hombres. As an Hombre, he was voted "Best Jazz Musician of Nashville (2001)", performed nine concerts with The Nashville Chamber Orchestra and had two best selling CDs (Cafe Strut and Django Bells) at Tower Records. In 2002, Django Bells was picked up by Merless International Records and received critical acclaim from around the country including four stars from Down Beat magazine. It was also chosen as the season's top pick by The New York Times, The Washington Post, USA Today, and NPR's "All Songs Considered."

A graduate of the Berklee College of Music, Justin supplements the highly lucrative income of a jazz musician by writing instructional guitar books and teaching privately. He has written six transcription books for Mel Bay Publishing for legendary guitarists such as Doc Watson, Tony Rice and David Grier. He is also one of Nashville's most sought out and respected instructors. Former students include some of Nashville's finest players and writers.

Recently, Justin has been touring the southeast appeasing both the college kids and the jazz purists with his dynamic stage presence and a band that swings so hard, they rock. The younger crowd enjoys the high energy level that recaptures the original rebellious spirit of jazz, while the traditionalists appreciate the high level of musicality. Whether he's playing a festival such as South by Southwest, a dinner party for the Prime Minister of Canada, or some smoky jazz club, all audiences agree, that is some tasty puddin'.

Reviews

If you like Norah Jones, Frank Sinatra or Harry Connick Jr., you'll adore this CD. Filled with whimsical lyrics and amazing jazz melodies, Thompson is doing for jazz what Joss Stone has done for soul...modernizing it and bringing tradition into the 21st Century. With a jazz remake of Britney Spears' "Hit Me Baby" that begs to be heard, this album is nothing but listening pleasure. In "Because of You" he sings, "Because of you/I learned that love is found/By giving selflessly/And it was you who turned my life around/I only wish that you could see/I'll be holding hands someday again/Kissing lips that may be true/She'll never know the man I am/Is all because of you." He combines cool jazz vocals with hot swing guitar, making this album a classic in my book. If you like that "Sleepless in Seattle" jazz, this is a must have. Don't let the album title throw you off; just get the CD!

Rating: 5 stars (out of 5)

DiscoveringArtists.com

Former Gypsy Hombre Justin Thompson's new project finds the guitarist stepping to the mic and conjuring a Django Reinhardt-meets-Chet Baker vibe, with a little Nat King Cole thrown in for seasoning. He's developed a fine reputation for his archtop work, particularly his chunking, rapid-fire rhythm playing, but his upcoming CD shows that he's every bit as dangerous as a soloist, blending melody, chromaticism, chordal flourishes and thoughtful phrasing with great success. The biggest surprise is the ease with which Thompson steps into the front man slot, dishing up sultry, smoky laid-back vocals on self penned tunes.

Nashville Scene

Justin Thompson needn't convince anyone of his guitar credentials. The Berklee College of Music graduate played in the ethnic-swing band Gypsy Hombres, and he's also taught guitar to back-up artists for Lucinda Williams and Bonnie Raitt. He's even instructed David Grier, an accomplished bluegrass guitarist. But equally impressive is Thompson's vocal style, a Chet Baker-style whisper. Where Baker's sighs almost blew away on the breeze, Thompson's singing benefits from a corporeal urgency borrowed from the great big band crooners. There's plenty of swing on his album Tasty Puddin', driven forward by David Jellema's red-hot cornet. Plus, he achieves the seemingly impossible, making a saucy, salty jazz number out of Britney Spears' saccharine pop.

Metro Pulse (Knoxville,Tn)

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