Album Review: He & Me from Ada Bird Wolfe

Album:  He & Me
Artist:  Ada Bird Wolfe
Website:  adabirdwolfe.com
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He & Me, the latest release from singer and lyricist Ada Bird Wolfe, is a duo with pianist and arranger Jamieson Trotter.  The pair perform an assortment of jazz standards and original tunes, demonstrating the smooth texture of Wolfe's register, which conjures up an intimacy with audiences that lures them to the stories being told in the songs.  The drama in the tales is subdued by Wolfe's calm voicing and clarion timbres.  Her refined phrasing is complimented by Trotter's silky swagger on the keys.  Together, they construct very pleasing atmospheres for listeners.

Call it soft swing, rhapsody blues, torchlight jazz, or cabaret, the music of Wolfe and Trotter present palatable moods using vocals and piano.  Their subtle variations on the melodic motifs of Dizzy Gillespie's gem "Night in Tunisia," soften the bebop accents, creating a lush and smooth jazz ballad.  Wolfe sings Portuguese fluently in "Logo Eu," a charming bossa nova number written by Brazilian singer-songwriter Chico Buarque that she presents with a familiarity as though it was made for her.  Wolfe puts lyrics to Wayne Shorter's tune "ESP," declaring, ”Sometimes it seems you can read my mind / Sometimes it seems our thoughts entwine / ESP is the miracle sign / When your heart hears the message sent by mine.”  She put the message that Shorter conveyed in music into words.

Wolfe also wrote the lyrics to her and Trotter's originals “Sweet Nardis,” “Too Much Stuff,” and “Done with That.”   Each describes a unique tale, showing the breadth of Wolfe’s songwriting abilities. “Sweet Nardis” is a song about a woman who lives for her midnight rendezvous with her lover. “Too Much Stuff” is a humorous story about not being able to let go of the burdens and troubles of one's life.  And “Done with That” is about having experienced the hardships of life, knowing that fearing hardship is a false premise, done with letting such worries rule one's impression of the world.

He & Me demonstrates the kinetic stimulation that happens between Wolfe and Trotter when collaborating.  Their synchronicity is alluring, building tunes organically an weaving a captivating palette of music.  Whether one describes their songs as soft swing, rhapsody blues, torchlight jazz, or cabaret, there is a romantic appeal in their music that is undeniable.

Musicians:

Ada Bird Wolfe, vocals

Jamieson Trotter, piano