Album Review: Once Upon a Summertime from Sharon Sable and Joe Holt

Album:  Once Upon a Summertime
Artists:  Sharon Sable and Joe Holt
Label:  Self-Released
Websites:  SharonSableMusic.com
                  JoeHoltNotes.com

Vocalist Sharon Sable and pianist Joe Holt fell in love with the music of another time, the classic jazz era, and it shows on their self-released recording Once Upon a Summertime.   The pair perceive classic jazz as an era when musicians performed songs that speak directly to people's hearts.  From material that has filled the lounges of casinos to the corridors of jazz festivals, Sable and Holt's repertoire contains stimulating reinterpretations of classic tunes and rare novelties.

The pair's retweaking of Cy Coleman and Carolyn Leigh's bluesy mid-tempo "You Fascinate Me So" is driven by Sable's smooth vocal strut with Holt's keys punctuating the lifts along the melodic progressions.  Stoking a swinging groove along Harold Arlen and E.Y. Yarburg's "Down With Love," the perky lilt in Sable's vocals resonate an infectious joy that aims for the listener.  The soft, wispy embers of the title track inject a tranquility in the recording that speaks to the listener's heart, as she reflects, "I remember when the vespers chimed / You loved me once upon a summertime."

The popular swing jazz era anthem "Surrey With the Fringe on Top," penned by Richard Rogers and Oscar Hammerstein, is a springy tune performed solely by Holt on piano, accentuating his meandering improvisations and adding spice to the main motif.  Sable takes the helm on the lamenting torchsong "Inside a Silent Tear," written by Blossom Dearie and Mahriah Blackwolf, and infuses a warmth into the melody that personalizes the melody.  Her fluency of the French language is demonstrated in E. Ray Goetz and Charles Trenet's funloving "Boum," moving with a elegant fluidity that transcends cultural barriers.

Transcending cultural and generational barriers is prevalent in Sable and Holt's offering.  The pair rekindle the sparkling melodies of the classic jazz era, and enhance their luminous trimmings.  Viewing these melodies through the lens of 21st century artists, the songs sparkle with a contemporary sheen that grab audiences.

Musicians:
Sharon Sable - vocals
Joe Holt - piano