piano & Fender Rhodes; Peter Washington, bass; Lewis Nash, drums,
Steve Wilson, alto & soprano sax) – Concord Records/ Pure
Audiophile Records PA-007 (2) ****:
I got
acquainted with Karrin Allyson’s special song stylings on the Concord
Jazz Voices DVD we received recently (before I sent it off to a
reviewer). I missed the original Concord CD of this album but after
auditioning this double-LP set I can call myself a fan and forget about
Diana Krall. Her voice is not large but it’s versatile, swinging and
sexy, and I love her selection of tunes. They run from jazz standards
to soul jazz, ballads, pop, and blues. The theme of blues is
emphatically brought out by these two pressings being on bright blue
vinyl! In the past I had thought that colored vinyl was noisier than
the black, but the surfaces on these 180-gram discs are silent. Looks
great spinning on your turntable.
Allyson’s band deserves no little credit for making this album a great
one. Miller is one of the best pianists around, and Steve Wilson’s
tasteful sax solos come in at just the right time and don’t outstay
their welcome in the tunes. I especially liked Allyson’s picking tunes
by such unexpected writers as Oscar Brown Jr. (two of his), Blossom
Dearie, Mose Allison, and Matt Dennis. The with-lyrics versions of both
Bobby Timmons’ instrumental Moanin’ and Benny Golson’s Whisper Not are
included. Jazz writer Leonard Feather wrote the lyrics for the latter
and also worked with Lionel Hampton on Evil Gal Blues. Sonics are great
– wide-range and impactful – and Karrin’s voice is intimate and
obviously closely-miced but not too breathy. I’m frankly more into
instrumental jazz than vocal but this one is going to get a lot of
playing!
Tracks: Moanin’, Everybody’s Cryin’ Mercy, Long As You’re Living, My
Bluebird, The Meaning of the Blues, Hum Drum Blues, How Long Has This
Been Going On, West Coast Blues, Evil Gal Blues, Blue Motel Room, By
Bye Country Boy, Love Me Like a Man, Angel Eyes, Some of My Best
Friends Are the Blues, Whisper Not.
