Album Review: I Watch You Sleep from Scott Dunn, Claire Martin and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

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Album:  I Watch You Sleep
Artists:  Scott Dunn, Richard Rodney Bennett, Claire Martin, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Label:  Stunt Records
Website:  https://clairemartinjazz.co.uk/discography/songs-and-stories/

I Watch You Sleep is a tribute album to pianist Sir Richard Rodney Bennett, whose passing in 2012 closed a chapter on iconic film scores and classic symphonies.  Known for his compositions featured in such motion pictures as Far From The Maddening Crowd (1967) and Murder On The Orient Express (1979), Bennett's works reached far and wide around the world.  The tribute recording is the endeavor of pianist Scott Dunn who is joined by vocalist Claire Martin, a member of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) along with Rob Barron on piano, Jeremy Brown on bass, Matt Skelton on drums, and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

Martin's vocal delivery is heavenly as she traverses across a selection of original works by Bennett joined by an assortment of covers from such luminaries as Vernon Duke, Harold Arlen, Johnny Mercer, and Kurt Weill.  Her breathy vocalese heightens the smooth instrumentation to a sublime ether.  "Autumn In New York" is encased in a soothing glaze as Barron, Brown and Skelton contour Martin's silky vocals.  "Round About," penned by Vernon Duke and Ogden Nash, is a haunting melody as Martin's vocals project an introspective aura.

"I'll Always Leave The Door a Little Open," a Johnny Mandel tune with lyrics by Sir Richard Rodney Bennett and Frank Underwood, is stoked by a smooth bluesy filament emblematic of the legendary blues singers that gave Cafe Society its popularity like Sarah Vaughan, Lil Hardin Armstrong and Bessie Smith.  Laden in fluid atmospherics, Bennett's original works "I Never Went Away" and "Let's Go Live in the Country" transport the listener above the temporal plane.  The hymn-like solace of "My Ship" arouses an inner peace, and the pensive sonorous of "It's Only a Paper Moon" emotes an intimacy with the audience.

Scott Dunn and Claire Martin have tenderly preserved the original works of Sir Richard Rodney Bennett in addition to works by other artists that Bennett felt a kindred bond to.  Martin's dreamy versing is elevating and the orchestration is sublime, making for an exquisite tribute.

Musicians:
Claire Martin - vocals
Scott Dunn - piano
Rob Barron - piano
Jeremy Brown - bass
Matt Skelton - drums
Ryan Quigley - flugelhorn

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