Opening off the first set that I attended was a brisk Latin
arrangement of Cole Porter’s “Night and Day”.
From the get-go, Carol McCartney’s vocal delivery was full of clarity,
high spirits, and full of enthusiasism for bringing a fresh edge to the jazz
repertoire. She even brings this edge
into a vocal take on the Wes Montgomery classic “West Coast Blues”, which
swings effortlessly as a brisk jazz waltz with witty lyrics that make the
listener want to leave the cold and head out west.
Continuing the trend on interpreting varied material, Mrs. McCartney
and her band did justice to the Joni Mitchell classic “Be Cool” by providing a
soulful, bluesy edge to the piece as evidenced in Joni’s classic jazz treatment
of her piece. It made you want to snap
your fingers and tap your toes to a cool arrangement taken at a relaxed
pace. She even delved into the
repertoire of Cassandra Wilson and her bossa nova take of “Almost Twelve”,
channeling one of her contemporary influences in an effective manner by making
the arrangement completely her own while introducing a fairly new song to a
whole new audience.
One of the highlights of the concert is her duets with just piano
and bass that really show off the clarity of her voice and how she respects the
lyrical content of her performance.
With pianist Brian Dickinson, Ms. McCartney delves into “More Than You
Know” as a heartfelt romantic ballad that brings a good cap to a romantic
evening at a jazz club. Another duet,
this time with Kieran Overs on bass, brings the childlike and playful innocence
into the Bobby Timmons/Oscar Brown Jr. classic “Dat Dere”. It also pays homage and respect to the
classic version done many years ago by Sheila Jordan when she experimented with
just voice and bass on that tune and her other later works.
Carol McCartney and her stellar band consisting
of pianist Brian Dickinson, Bassist Kieran Overs, guitarist Reg Schwager,
saxophonist Chris Robinson and drummer Terry Clarke has done justice to the
stellar repertoire through its carefully executed arrangements and top shelf
playing by all involved on that night.
It was an affair full of high spirits that was intimate and at the same
time celebratory for the music that was performed and produced. Ms. McCartney’s voice and diction
throughout the night was so clear, poised and to the point that the real
meaning and beauty of the lyrics came forth effectively. Congratulations to Mrs. McCartney and her
team for a great concert and releasing a great collection of music to be
enjoyed for years to come.
CAROL MCCARTNEY OFFICIAL WEB SITE:
No comments:
Post a Comment