Is Eric Felten a trombonist who sings or a singer who plays trombone? His chops are equally versatile, as he demonstrates on his latest release, Eric Felten Meets The Dek-Tette (VSOP), but not equally distributed over the 13 standards taken from the Great American Songbook. Felten plays only two solos, yet sings on all tracks. Pity, his ‘bone tone is just as pure and pleasant as his voice. Both can be gleaned from “I Hadn’t Anyone Till You” and “It’s All Right With Me,” where he and Med Flory engage in some counterpoint. Felten has been playing trombone since age nine; he knows his way around the instrument. Perhaps he was humbled by the main soloists on the session: Bob Enevoldsen, Herb Geller, Jack Sheldon and Flory-all veterans of Marty Paich’s legendary Dek-Tette. He had no cause to worry. This was meant as “a tribute to Mel Torme and Marty Paich.” “Tribute” is the key word; Torme and Paich cannot be duplicated.
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