Album Review: Straight Ahead to the UK from Cathy Segal-Garcia

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Album:  Straight Ahead to the UK
Artist:  Cathy Segal-Garcia
Label:  Dash Hoffman Records
Website:  www.cathysegalgarcia.com

The songs on vocalist Cathy Segal-Garcia's latest release Straight Ahead to the UK comprises of an assortment of vintage jazz standards, modern jazz compositions, and a few originals by Segal-Garcia.  The alto-enriched palette of her timbres gives the tracks an earthy flavor, searing into the melodies and holding them anchored.  This is jazz music in its prime, lathered in elements of blues, soul, swing, and scat, all of which ratchet up the jazz-drenched romper "Shake It Down."

Produced by Garcia along with her saxophonist Andy MacIntosh and organist John Leftwich, Straight Ahead to the UK sails through a myriad of swing-filled grooves from the sudsy flusters of "Song 4 Sandy" to the balmy swells of "Something We May Never Know."  The glistening tone of Garcia's vocals are augmented by the shimmering tone of Cliff Hall's keys, kneading gently across the melody.  Changing the tempo to an island sway along "Dreamsville," the track is bolstered by the clarion swirls of Andy MacIntosh's saxophone, which switches to a gleeful splashing sauntering across "Gypsy in My Soul."   The softly lit "Last Night When We Were Young" brings out the delicate embers in Garcia's vocals.

Garcia's 13th offering, Straight Ahead to the UK, began in 2011 in England.  The unfinished recording was resurrected in 2019 and completed.  An assortment of swing jazz numbers, the recording shows Garcia's vocal versatility, capturing the playfulness of swing, the romantic lure of blues, and the depth of soul.  The disc demonstrates Garcia's advancement as an emotionally driven singer.

Musicians:
Cathy Segal-Garcia - vocals
Piano - Cliff Hall, John Pearce, Roy Hilton, and Isamu McGregor
B3 Organ - Carey Frank
Saxophone - Andy MacIntosh
Trumpet - SImon Gardner
Acoustic Bass - Paul Morgan
Bass and Synth Pads - John Leftwich
Electric Bass - Laurence Cottle
Drums - Ian Thomas
Background Vocals - Bili Redo and Irene Cathaway
Special Guest Vocalist - Norma Winstone

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