Lucky So & So

In the same league as hipsters Mark Murphy, Mose Allison, and Bob Dorough, West Coast vocalist Paul West runs through a play list of familiar and original material, most of it with satirical themes. "Runs through" is the apt term, since there are only 27 and a half minutes of music on the CD. Given the rotating shifts in personnel, it's clear that this CD is a compilation of music recorded at different times. Most of the tracks have West accompanied either by himself on piano or by a trio. On "Donna Lee" and "I'm Just a Lucky So and So" he's backed by a larger band with full horn sections. West wrote witty lyrics for Charlie Parker's "Donna Lee," which he does in vocalese, inserting a chorus from "Back Home Again in Indiana," in keeping with the Indiana theme of his lyrics. This track also features a swinging piano solo by Tom Ranier and excellent ensemble work by the band. West is joined by two other singers for a high-spirited rendition of his "Boo." Tongue-in-cheek songs like this one, "Married to the Blues," and "Spiders" make this a well-done, fun album. It's too bad that there is so little of it.