Singers
Diana Krall - The Look of Love
Verve 314-549-846
Kitty Margolis - Left Coast Life
Mad Kat Records
Diane Schuur/Maynard Ferguson - Swinging for Schuur
Concord Jazz, ccd 4982-2
Here are three different singers with three different styles, so you can choose according to your mood. First, of course, has to be Diana Krall. She has dominated the jazz charts for months now with her latest releases and this one has already gone gold with half a million sold. In jazz circles, this is like Moses parting the Red Sea. Diana is now in a class with Kenny G, except that she sings better and has played on the TV show, Friends. The CD has orchestral arrangements by Claus Ogerman played by the London Symphony Orchestra with Ogerman conducting. It is quite beautiful and romantic, although many jazz fans don’t think it’s really jazz. Well, according to Quincy Jones it isn’t, because a jazz record according to Quincy is one that sells under 10,000 units. If you haven’t heard this singer, she is smooth as silk, with a Peggy Lee kind of smoky sound that at least half a million people really dig.
Kitty Margolis is a little more improvisational and dynamic on her new release, Left Coast Life. She swings hard on “I Wanna be Happy,” then she gets sultry and exotic on Pink Floyd’s “Money,” and vamps Randy Newman’s “Lonely at the Top.” Steve Erquiaga lays down some very cool tracks on guitar, and there are some great harmonic lines from Paul Nagel on keys. This is a fine CD, and no one wonders if it’s really jazz.
Diane Schuur has sung with Basie and B.B. King and is definitely a hard hitter on this CD. Of course, she gets some help from Maynard Ferguson and his band. Be ready for the high notes, because there are plenty coming at you, with this trumpet-heavy band and this belting songstress. It’s a big band bonanza all the way; that’s where Diane Schuur really swings and her vocal prowess cannot be denied.
Two Beautiful Twos
Joe Beck and Ali Ryerson
Django, dmp cd530
Joe Beck invented and plays the alto guitar as a “a self contained instrument.” Then he heard Ali Ryerson play her alto flute and he knew he wanted that melodic voice in the mix. The duo has been playing together for four years now, and they call it “chamber jazz.” It’s a delightful combination of tones to enjoy. On this CD, they caress the ballads like “Laura” and “Tenderly” and play fast and furious parallel lines on Chick Corea’s “Spain.” Here’s a jazz album even your mom could love.
Stefon Harris and Jackie Terrasson - Kindred
Blue Note, 7343 5 31868
When Stefon Harris plays vibes or marimba, he is all over the instrument; sometimes with four mallets, sometimes with two. He focuses his frantic frontal energy into his instrument. His chops are amazing for someone so young. Then there’s the half-French, half-American piano player and arranger, Jackie Terrasson, who plays with power and passion and a delicate touch; and while his skill on the piano is phenomenal, he is so smooth you hardly notice it. These two, together, have created many moods on this CD, from the burnin’ “Little Niles” to the smoldering “Never Let me Go.” With only two instruments, they create the harmonic range of an orchestra, with no strings attached.
Big Names Deliver
Cyrus Chestnut - Soul Food
Atlantic/WB 83490-2
If you listen to the players born after 1950, you should know everyone on this release: Chris McBride, bass; Lewis Nash, drums; Marcus Printup, trumpet; Wycliffe Gordon, trombone; and, of course, Cyrus Chestnut at the piano. With his subtle but soulful style, Chestnut really creates a classic this time out. He is in the jazz groove like nobody else and we get to hear quite a few of his original pieces on this CD. It will remind you of the early Horace Silver-Art Blakey Jazz Messengers, and the message is sweet. This release is one of my favorites from the past year, Soul Food that only makes your brain get fat.
Roy Haynes - Birds of a Feather, a Tribute to Charlie Parker
Dreyfus Recording, fdm 36625-2
Drummer Roy Haynes has been a major player for 45 years and worked with Bird, Miles, Getz, Monk, Dizzy, Chick Corea, and Pat Metheny. He has been a bandleader for over 25 years, and has put together some dynamite bands. This is one of them: Dave Holland, bass; Roy Hargrove, trumpet; Dave Kikoski, piano; and Kenny Garrett, sax. With the jazz generation slipping away as time goes by, it’s great to hear Haynes, who has been there through it all, just playing solid jazz with the right touch of imagination. There’s a kinder, gentler “April in Paris,” a fun “Moose the Mooch” where Holland struts his stuff, and “Now’s the Time” with blended horn lines arranged in 7/4 time. Hey, with this talent, a band could play the Mickey Mouse theme and sound good; but with these tunes, Bird’s definitely given his props.
