1. Exactly Like You
2. Something To Remember You By
3. Anytime, Anyday, Anywhere
4. I Haven’t Got Anything Better To Do
5. If You Could Love Me
6. Why Don’t You Do Right
7. The Meaning Of The Blues
8. Zoot Walks In
9. Where Are You?
10. Spring Will Be A Little Late This Year
11. A Cottage For Sale
12. I Never Loved Anyone
13. We’ll Meet Again
Carol Sloane – Vocals
Ken Peplowski – Clarinet, tenor sax
Bucky Pizzarelli – Guitar
Steve LaSpina – Bass
Aaron Weinstein - Violin (tracks 1, 8)
Howard Alden - Guitar (track 2)
“Age cannot wither her, nor custom stale her infinite variety”. So
wrote William Shakespeare in 1606 about Cleopatra in his play Antony
and Cleopatra. Carol Sloane now in her 73rd year and with her
37th album offers proof to that Shakespearian phrase. Carol has been
singing since the late 1950s and, not unlike many vocalists, she has
had her share of disappointments over the years. However with her
latest album, We’ll Meet Again, Sloane moves into familiar
territory with glistening interpretations of tunes that are both familiar
and unusual.
With her vibrant and relaxing style, she kicks off the album with
an easy swinger, Exactly Like You, with Ken Peplowski‘s tenor
sax and Aaron Weinstein’s violin in full support. Weinstein also appears
on Zoot Walks In but he is not given any musician credit on
the CD sleeve for either selection and is only mentioned in the liner
notes. The same applies to Howard Alden who provides sympathetic accompaniment
to Sloane on Something To Remember You By.
Over the years Sloane has always shown a great affinity for ballads
and a strong sense that lyrics are important. Listen to her readings
of I Haven`t Got Anything Better To Do and her slightly bossa
nova take on If You Could Love Me and you will get a flavour
of these traits. Previously mention has been made of Dave Frishberg’s
song Zoot Walks In, which was based on the Zoot Sims riff tune
The Red Door. Ken Peplowski offers some Zoot Sims inspired
tenor playing and with enthused bass work by Steve LaSpina, Sloane
dances along with unwavering mischievousness. In A Cottage For
Sale, Sloane delivers the song with a tinge of sadness that comes
from knowing the uncertainties life can bring. The album closes with
We’ll Meet Again, the World War II classic made famous by Dame
Vera Lynn but given a modern reading by Sloane that avoids some of
the mawkishness of the original Lynn version.
This is a terrific album by a seasoned professional and a welcome
addition to her discography.
Pierre Giroux
CD Reviews
Arbors Jazz ARCD 19400
