Jazz CD Reviews
Renee Fleming Haunted Heart Renee Fleming, vocals; with Fred Hersch, piano and Bill Frisell, guitars Decca
One of the few successful jazz forays for an operatic vocalist
Published on October 20, 2005
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Renee Fleming Haunted Heart Renee Fleming, vocals; with
Fred Hersch, piano and Bill Frisell, guitars Decca B0004406-02 64
min. ****:
Renee Fleming follows a seemingly longstanding tradition here of opera divas by crossing over to the mainstream and presenting an album of jazz-inflected showtunes. This scenario usually plays out to somewhat mixed results; whereas a ton of Broadway and Tin Pan Alley tunes are derived from operatic sources usually not such a stretch for most first-rank divas sometimes the results are abysmal, with the divas coming off sounding mechanical and soulless. Renee Fleming, however, dabbled throughout her training and education with becoming a jazz singer, and actually received an offer to come to New York and sing an offer she says scared her right into signing up for graduate school where she eventually pursued her career as an opera singer. Jazz has remained her secret passion, however, and shes dreamed of making this album for years.
The results here are nothing short of stunning. Ms. Fleming has taken a very personal approach to her song selection, with many of the songs coming from genres stretching far beyond the boundaries of jazz. Fred Hersch provides piano accompaniment; his work is excellent as always. Bill Frisell, whose work is often quirky and somewhat "out there" on his own projects, offers tuneful and melodic runs and fills on guitar. The tunes offer a mix of Renee with Fred, Renee with Bill, and sometimes with both. Both Fred Hersch and Bill Frisell are incredible musicians this goes without saying, right? Their contributions to the success of this album cannot be overstated.
The recording quality is top-notch; all of the personalities are prominently placed in the soundfield, and the disc preserves a splendid presentation of the recorded acoustic. Renee Flemings voice is perfectly focused front and center this is another of those spectacular Red Book discs that blurs the line between high-res and what Red Book discs are capable of. This disc is a must-have for all fans of Renee Fleming and fans of just good jazz recordings in general. Highly recommended.
Tracks: Haunted Heart; River; When Did You Leave Heaven?; You've Changed; Answer Me; My Cherie Amour; In My Life; The Moon's A Harsh Mistress; Wozzeck/Improvisation/The Midnight Sun; Liebst du um Schonheit; My One and Only Love/This Is Always; Cancao do Amor; Psyche; Hard Times Come Again No More.
-- Tom Gibbs
Renee Fleming follows a seemingly longstanding tradition here of opera divas by crossing over to the mainstream and presenting an album of jazz-inflected showtunes. This scenario usually plays out to somewhat mixed results; whereas a ton of Broadway and Tin Pan Alley tunes are derived from operatic sources usually not such a stretch for most first-rank divas sometimes the results are abysmal, with the divas coming off sounding mechanical and soulless. Renee Fleming, however, dabbled throughout her training and education with becoming a jazz singer, and actually received an offer to come to New York and sing an offer she says scared her right into signing up for graduate school where she eventually pursued her career as an opera singer. Jazz has remained her secret passion, however, and shes dreamed of making this album for years.
The results here are nothing short of stunning. Ms. Fleming has taken a very personal approach to her song selection, with many of the songs coming from genres stretching far beyond the boundaries of jazz. Fred Hersch provides piano accompaniment; his work is excellent as always. Bill Frisell, whose work is often quirky and somewhat "out there" on his own projects, offers tuneful and melodic runs and fills on guitar. The tunes offer a mix of Renee with Fred, Renee with Bill, and sometimes with both. Both Fred Hersch and Bill Frisell are incredible musicians this goes without saying, right? Their contributions to the success of this album cannot be overstated.
The recording quality is top-notch; all of the personalities are prominently placed in the soundfield, and the disc preserves a splendid presentation of the recorded acoustic. Renee Flemings voice is perfectly focused front and center this is another of those spectacular Red Book discs that blurs the line between high-res and what Red Book discs are capable of. This disc is a must-have for all fans of Renee Fleming and fans of just good jazz recordings in general. Highly recommended.
Tracks: Haunted Heart; River; When Did You Leave Heaven?; You've Changed; Answer Me; My Cherie Amour; In My Life; The Moon's A Harsh Mistress; Wozzeck/Improvisation/The Midnight Sun; Liebst du um Schonheit; My One and Only Love/This Is Always; Cancao do Amor; Psyche; Hard Times Come Again No More.
-- Tom Gibbs
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