1. Nice Work If You Can Get It
2. Beginner's Luck
3. They Say It's Wonderful
4. Some Other Time
5. Blue Skies
6. Without a Song
7. It's Magic
8. Taking a Chance on Love
9. The Good Life
10. If Someone Had Told Me
11. My Favorite Things
12. September in the Rain
13. Danny Boy
Diane Schuur - Vocals, piano (tracks 7, 9)
Randy Porter - Piano (tracks 1-6, 8, 10, 11,
13)
Dan Balmer - Guitar
Scott Steed - Bass
Reggie Jackson - Drums
After
all the pretenders, here's the real thing:
a lady who is a genuine jazz singer. I know
she has sometimes been criticised (unfairly)
for venturing into more popular realms but
she has always been a jazz vocalist at heart,
which she certainly proves here. The album
commemorates the 40th anniversary of the death
of Diane's mother, who died when the singer
was only 13. The choice of songs celebrates
the music that the young Diane heard her mother
singing (it was her mother who gave Diane
the nickname "Deedles") which has stayed with
her ever since.
Because
she has perfect pitch, Diane sings in tune
and with deep, rich tone. She often holds
onto notes for a long time, as if she is relishing
them - while varying them slightly with her
enthusiastic vibrato. And she also has a formidable
range (three-and-a-half octaves), which allows
her to play intriguing games with melodies,
reaching unexpected highs and lows. Oh, and
she's a fine pianist too, although regrettably
she only plays piano on a couple of tracks
on the CD. However, Randy Porter, the pianist
for most of the session, accompanies her assiduously
and plays some well-constructed solos. Randy
also worked out most of the ingenious arrangements.
The
repertoire may look hackneyed but Schuur brings
something new to every number. For example,
she starts Blue Skies at an unusually
slow tempo and Dan Balmer takes a thoughtful
guitar solo before Diane changes key twice
without any trouble during the last chorus.
My Favorite Things owes nothing to
Julie Andrews or, for that matter, John Coltrane
but it is all Schuur - for sure. In the little-known
If Someone Had Told Me, Diane rivals
Ella Fitzgerald in the level of cheeky improvisation.
The biggest surprise is September in the
Rain, recorded by Diane at a Holiday Inn
in Tacoma when she was ten years old - a scratchy
recording which is sufficiently audible for
you to hear how much the early Diane was influenced
by Dinah Washington. The CD ends with Diane
singing Danny Boy just with guitar
accompaniment. It was a song which her mother
long ago asked her to sing and it makes a
poignant end to the album.
Tony
Augarde
CD Reviews
Heads
Up HUCD 3138
