review featured in Port Halcyon online magazine

Linnzi Zaorski & Delta Royale

By Tim Swank

If you're looking for an in-depth discussion of Linnzi Zaorski and Delta Royale, their antecedents and a family-tree showing where they stand in the Swing universe, this ain't it. Mainly because I don't know any of that. What I do know is what I like. I like pie, especially a slice of old-fashioned sweet swing like Linnzi and Delta Royale offer up. So if you're hungry, here's how their music tastes.

First, a wonderfully flaky crust of venerable tunes like "Rockin' Chair" and "Me, Myself and I" are a foundation for what I can only describe as raspberry-mulberry-tangerine filling. Raspberry, because it has that hint of extra twang in the raspy Linnzi's crooning, mulberry for that wonderful musky tinge in Robert Snow's bass and Seva Venet's guitar, and tangerine-sweet, juicy tangerine- in the wonderfully toothsome work on sax and clarinet by Ryan Burrage. But the real thickener is Charlie Fardela's trumpet, giving it a smooth, cherries jubilee texture. And like any pie, it is a matter of taste, if you're looking for something edgy and with a fast tempo this is not it. But if you're looking for something mellow, relaxing in the lazy balm of Southern summer evenings sipping sweet tea, holding hands with your sweetie and listening to the frogs, this will most likely do the tricand give ample opportunity for a little slow dancing with enough jig to get jiggy. But don't get the idea this is something to put you to sleep, the musical artistry is splendid and refreshing. Lovely individual solos are interspersed amongst the amazing harmonious blending of these outstanding talents. My favorite is "What A Little Moonlight Can Do", a fine piece with plenty to please.

So have a slice of Linnzi and Delta Royale, chase it with a tumbler of bourbon, and you'll have musical dessert only New Orleans could confect.