Album Review: The Rebecca Kilgore Trio - Vol. 1 from Rebecca Kilgore

Album: The Rebecca Kilgore Trio - Vol. 1
Artist: Rebecca Kilgore
Label: Heavywood
Website: www.rebeccakilgore.com

Jazz vocalist Rebecca Kilgore has 50 plus recording projects in her coffer, acting as both a leader or co-leader.  As one of the most respected interpreters of the Great American Songbook, Kilgore is a torchbearer of Prohibition Era jazz and New Millennium Jazz. The creamy texture of her vocals is reminiscent of the cabaret singers of yesteryear.  Based in Portland, Oregon, Kilgore has worked with many of the top jazz musicians in the Pacific Northwest and beyond.  For her newest recording, The Rebecca Kilgore Trio - Vol. 1, she leads Randy Porter on piano, Tom Wakeling on bass, and Kilgore’s husband, Dick Titterington, who plays cornet on a few tunes.

The recording is an eclectic mix of jazz standards that she mined from the Great American Songbook like Johnny Mercer and Rube Bloom's "Day In, Day Out,” Dinah Shore's “The Gentlemen Is a Dope,” and Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart's “There’s a Small Hotel."  These hidden treasures are performed alongside modern 21st century tunes like "Somebody Just Like You" by Meredith D'Ambrosio, "I Wanna Get Married" by Nellie McKay, "Like the Brightest Star" by Harry Allen, and “Dear Bix,” written by Dave Frishberg about an imagined conversation between Bix Beiderbecke and Hoagy Carmichael.

The burlesque-shaded swagger in Titterington's cornet strolls languidly along "Somebody Just Like You" partnering snugly with Kilgore's sultry purr, imprinting a sweltering speakeasy-like vigor.  The recording goes from provocative to comfy cozy with an American-inspired jive tinting the pulsing beats of "Run, Little Raindrop, Run" as Kilgore settles into a Judy Garland-esque caress in her phrasing.  The light and airy quality in her voicing makes a lasting impression on the listener.  The sleek inflections in her vocals apply a sweet smoothness across "Dear Bix," while studding "Day In - Day Out."  with vibrant nuances.  

Her repertoire advances with the satiny strokes of Porter's piano keys ruminating casually along "Azure" as Kilgore's swinging, bluesy, conversational style bolsters an alluring element in the lyrics.  She balances the dreamy texture of her timbres with a fleshy quality intimated in her resonance, expressing sorrow and joy in her singing as vividly as Judy Garland does through acting.  

The torchlight luster in Kilgore's vocals give the lyrics in "I Wanna Get Married" a gilded elegance as she ponders the simple life of being a housewife, "I wanna get married / Yes, I need a spouse... I need to cook meals... I want to escape this rat race I've created... I just want to bake a sugar cake for you to take to work in the morning / And I'll stay home cleaning the dishes and keeping your wishes all warm / I want to get married / That's why I was born."

Kilgore has a million dollar voice in the vane that Judy Garland is a million dollar actress.  Kilgore has a classic style that is natural and makes a lasting impression on audiences.  Her vocal caresses are both seductive and comfy cozy.  Kilgore applies her own stylized nuances to the scores.  Like manna from heaven, her interpretations are like nourishment for the soul.  Her clasp on the eclectic mix of songs is solid with her classically faceted voicing and ability to fine-tune her delivery supported by her trio

Musicians:
Rebecca Kilgore - vocals
Randy Porter - piano
Tom Wakeling - bass
Dick Titterington - cornet