Album Review: A Litte Taste: A Tribute To Dave Frishberg from Rebecca Kilgore

-

Album:  A Little Taste: A tribute to Dave Frishberg
Artist:  Dave Frishberg
Label:  Cherry Pie Music
Website:  rebeccakilgore.com

The female singers of jazz have a special place in audience's hearts, recalling Billie Holiday, Dianne Reeves, and Jane Monheit among others, each sharing the vibrancy discernible in vocalist Rebecca Kilgore.  In her fourth decade as a connoisseur of jazz vocals, Kilgore celebrates 9 works of Dave Frishberg on her recording, A Litte Taste: A Tribute To Dave Frishberg, with 2 additional songs that she and her husband, flugelhornist-trumpeter-arranger Dick Titterington, often performed in their long collaboration.

From swinging showtunes-style trots like Frishberg and Johnny Mandel's upbeat tune "Brenda Starr" to the sonic symphonic billows of Frishberg and Mandel's caressing ballad "You Are There," Kilgore covers jazz from nostalgia to modern.  Ragtime embers sparkle across "Ah, So Pure," a 1848 melody by Friedrich von Flotow and Jasmina Setka, towing a casual marching cadence, then changing to a torchlight glisten through "Eastwood Lane," written by Frishberg and trombonist Dan Barrett whose performance on the track enhances the nostalgic mood.

Kilgore's versing nestles comfortably into the melodic grooves as her silky timbres cradle the lyrics with a loving tenderness. The Latinesque shuffle in the rhythmic beats of "A Little Taste" fits snugly alongside the sultry texture of her vocalese, seguing into the tingling vibrations of the string quartet comprised of Nelly Kovalev and Lucia Atkinson on violins, Hillary Oseas on viola, and Hamilton Cheifetz on cello, as Kilgore's vocals turn flirty and coquettish through "Peel Me A Grape."

Hailing from Portland, Oregon, Kilgore has been inducted to both the Oregon Music Hall of Fame and the Jazz Society of Oregon’s Hall Of Fame.  She was the guest of honor at the 2013 Roswell Jazz Festival and honored as a Jazz Legend at the San Diego Jazz Party in 2016.  Probably her greatest accomplishment is being a striking jazz vocalist through four decades.  After being diagnosed with dementia in 2024, her tribute to Dave Frishberg is a memorable addition to a lustrous repertoire.

Musicians:
Rebecca Kilgore - vocals
Randy Porter - piano
Tom Wakeling - bass
Todd Strait - drums
Tim Jenson - flute and piccolo
John Moak - trombone
Dick Titterington - trumpet, flugelhorn, and arrangements
Randy Porter, piano

Special Guests:
Violins - Nelly Kovalev and Lucia Atkinson
Viola - Hillary Oseas
Cello - Hamilton Cheifetz
Trombone - John Moak
Trombone - Dan Barrett on the song “Eastwood Lane,” which he co-wrote with Dave Frishberg

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Album Review: Becoming Marlene Dietrich from Myriam Phiro

-
Image
Album:  Becoming Marlene Dietrich Artist:  Myriam Phiro Label:  Self-Released Website:  www.myriamphiro.com Smooth jazz vocalist Myriam Phiro introduces a new generation of music listeners to jazz standards that made Marlene Dietrich famous in her time from the 1920's to 1940's with Phiro's new release Becoming Marlene Dietrich .  Although Phiro immerses herself in melodies that had been Dietrich's trademark tunes, Phiro tailors the songs to her likeness.  Her illustrious mezzo-soprano register is higher on the vocal spectrum than Dietrich's contralto pitch, which stamps the tracks with her own unique nuances and inflections.  Her treatment of the verses is finessed with a distinctly soft, feminine touch and a delightfully, hypnotic resonance, setting her style apart from Dietrich's. Her vocals cradle the lyrics of "Quand L’Amour Meurt," written by Georges Crémieux and Octave Millandy, with a warmth that penetrates the listener's soul as Hyuna Park...
Read more

Album Review: The Ways In from James Zollar

-
Image
Album:  The Ways In Artist:  James Zollar Label:  Label: JZAZ Records Websites:  https://www.rsberkeley.com/james-zollar https://www.discogs.com/artist/954763-James-Zollar https://wyntonmarsalis.org/personnel/detail/james-zollar A straight-ahead jazz oeuvre, The Ways In from bandleader and trumpet player James Zollar resumes a quest where pioneers of the trumpet's sympathetic vibrations like Clifford Brown and Bill Coleman left off.  Zollar shows audiences the delightful, melodious tone of the trumpet, moving in harmony with an array of brass, woodwinds, and rhythm instruments. The robust wails of Zollar's trumpet strutting languidly along "Do Nothing 'till You Hear From Me" emotes an enduring personable trait, unwavering persistence in the face of being dejected.  The recording switches to a joyful atmosphere in "Swing Spring" with jangly beats from percussionist Chembo Corniel, interfacing with the buoyant ripples generated by Michael Rorby's trom...
Read more

Album Review: Globetrotter from Luca di Luzio

-
Image
Album:  Globetrotter Artist:  Luca di Luzio Label:  Self-Released Website:  www.lucadiluzio.it   Guitarist Luca di Luzio's upcoming CD, Globetrotter  is an assortment of contemporary jazz tunes bridging funk, blues, soul, and Latin music.  Comprised of a few jazz standards and a handful of original works written by Luca di Luzio, a prolific guitar player who studied different styles of music, the recording expresses his personal vision of jazz guitar based on melody and groove.  Joining Di Luzio in his vision are bass guitarist Jimmy Haslip, drummer Dave Wecki, keyboardist George Whitty, and saxophonists Max Ionata and Alessandro Fariselli. From dance-funk numbers like "Jazzlife" and "Elisir" to the soft billows and reflective moods projected in "Smile" and " Buena Suerte," Di Luzio's artistry stems from his vision to make music that is aesthetically pleasing.  "Sunshower," a tune written by Kenny Barron, is a pr...
Read more