Leif Shires
What A Wonderful World
Green Hill Records
By George W. Harris

Trumpeter Leif Shires is a newcomer who’s got a gorgeously rich tone, a gentle vibrato, and a relaxed, clean approach to soloing. His debut is a collection of standard ballads that shows off all of his strengths. Supported by an elega nt set of musicians (Jack Jezzro/b, David Huntsinger/p, Jim Ferguson,b, Jim White/d, Eric Darken/perc), Shires let’s his Chet Bakerish tone do it’s work on tunes like “Autumn Leaves” and “Nature Boy.” Guitarist Jezzro did all of the arranging on this disc, weaving his acoustic and electric guitar around Shire’s horn decoratively without being obtrusive, most notably on “Fields Of Gold”, the samba’d “Unforgettable,” and the relaxed title piece. “Moon River” includes some sophisticated piano work by Huntsinger, while Shires is sweet on Cindy Lauper’s “Time After Time.” Nice and relaxing intro by a guy who will keep you listening.