Brandi Disterheft – Second Side – Justin Time Records JTR 8544-2, 37:44 **:
Female bass players are not exactly a dime a dozen. There are a few recognizable names in the field such as Esperanza Spalding and Nicki Parrott but beyond that, not so many. Brandi Disterheft is a Canadian from North Vancouver, British Columbia, who comes from a jazz background, and has studied with many top-name bassists. While such a pedigree is nice, it is no guarantee of success, nor does it ensure that her music is accessible or worthwhile.
In this second CD, titled Second Side Disterheft offers eleven tunes all of which she has arranged, and ten are her own compositions. In the liner notes she proclaims that in writing the compositions included on the CD she did so “with the intent to capture that familiar sacred mood of the choice classic jazz albums of Miles Davis, Mingus…” There was very little likelihood that this conceit would materialize, and it did not. The opening cuts of the CD, “Sketches of Belief”, “Combien de Chances” and ” Second Dawn” offer very little encouragement for the listener as there is an absence of any discoverable melody or musicality. Disterheft provides a vocal on “Combien de Chances” but she has a rather thin voice and is under-recorded. Anticipating a better result with a Holly Cole vocal on “He’s Walkin’”, again there was disappointment. With the trite lyrics and the country-styled arrangement, one wonders how Cole was convinced to participate in the project.
Switching to a trio format for “Liege”, “A Night in Haiti” and “Let Her Shine” the results are somewhat better. Working with Stacie McGregor, who is a Toronto-based, straight-ahead, mainstream pianist, Disterheft gets an opportunity to show her technique, especially on “A Night in Haiti”. Sometimes redemption comes in small doses and in this case it is the final bonus cut on the album. The great Montreal-based jazz singer Ranee Lee delivers a swinging version of the Harold Arlen/Johnny Mercer standard, “This Time the Dream’s on Me”. Disterheft has written a strong arrangement with interesting instrumental voicing which indicates that she can deliver if the occasion dictates.
Perhaps Brandi Disterheft was hit by a sophomore jinx with this album. One can hope so; only time will tell.
TrackList: Sketches Of Belief; Combien De Chances; Second Dawn; Twilight Curtain; My Only Friends Are The Pigeons; He’s Walkin’; Dawn; Liege; A Night in Haiti; Let Her Shine; This Time The Dreams On Me.
— Pierre Giroux
