AMG Review of Two Family House

Steve Kurutz
All Music Guide

Raymond De Felita's film #Two Family House centers around Buddy Visalo, a working-class man who has hopes of becoming a Sinatra-style crooner but amends that unreachable dream in favor of owning his own bar at which he can sing. Soon he finds that that seemingly realistic goal is equally fraught with difficulties and struggles. It is a movie that revolves around music and all the things music is a vessel for: dreams, happiness, sadness, loss, and celebration. As such the score, filled with equal parts sad, lilting piano and boisterous brassy swells, evokes that bygone era of '40s America. Classics such as Perry Como's "Papa Loves Mambo," a song that has become as high on the hipster radar as any by Nirvana, are included, as are several sung by modern jazz vocalist John Pizzarelli and his able trio. The handful of instrumentals here, performed by the Two Family House Ensemble, are what really carry the musical narrative, though. Soft horns and weepy violins give musical light to Buddy's frustrated dreams and the melancholy they bring on. By no means is Two Family House the best collection for this sort of mood (any Chet Baker vocal release is far superior), but the album mirrors the underdog charm of the movie and is an enjoyable listen.