A Swinging Quarter Century Old Jazz Vocal Album' Premier Vinyl Release
recorded in 1998 to two inch analog tape
This album arrived in the mail featuring jazz vocalist Teri Roiger, her husband and bassist John Menegon, both unfamiliar to me, plus always a joy to enjoy, Jack DeJohnette and Kenny Burrell (drums and guitar, but you already knew that). How this session happened—have DeJohnette and Burrell ever played together previously or ever again?—I don't know. But once I played it and heard Roiger's vocals I think I understood why those two did the gig, why I needed to review the record and why if you dig female jazz vocalists—especially the harder-edged rhythmically aggressive ones with an attitude— you're sure to really like this record.
Roiger's vocalizing, while stylistically original, immediately had me hearing possible influences including June Christy and Betty Carter. On Teri's "about" page, which I referenced only after listening and in preparation for this review there's Jack DeJohnette quote: "Teri has an intuitive laid back sense of time reminiscent of Abbey Lincoln & Betty Carter, but with her own uniqueness". What he said.
Roiger charges out of the gate with an energetic tango-like take on Sting's "Fragile" featuring a notable Burrell solo. De Johnette's well-recorded drums lurk throughout in the backdrop, adding cymbal fills to keep it charging forward. Front-to-back three dimensional imaging add sonic interest but mostly you'll notice how well the recording captures the warm textures of Burrell's signature guitar sound. Roiger's unadorned voice is right there—no need to hide in reverb.
"Listen to Your Soul", Monk's "Misterioso" with original Roiger lyrics (hence the album title) follows. Adding lyrics to instrumental jazz standards doesn't always work but these are as effective and well placed as any written by Jon Hendricks and that's saying something. Burrell and Menegon pleasingly tangle in the angular Monk melody and by song's end you'd be correct thinking you're in for a full album's worth of instrumental and vocal pleasures well-arranged and intimately recorded. Even the drums spread across the stage doesn't distract or detract thanks to DeJohnette's impeccable taste—by the end of the album I was glad to have been about to more easily follow his masterful doings.
Side two includes a trio of jazz classics set to lyrics including two Monk tunes by the aforementioned Jon Henricks: "Listen to Monk" ("Rhythm-a-Ning") and "Looking Back" ("Reflections"). Mingus's Lester Young elegy "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat" features Roland Kirk's lyrics plus a Roiger poem and it gives bassist Menegon a chance to quote Mingus's Tijuana Moods and play some meaty arco bass behind Roiger's sassy poem. This is probably the best place to give Menegon props for the consistently excellent, effective nimble arrangements. Roiger scats with the best of them on "Listen to Monk" and both DeJohnette and Burrell take effective solo turns. The bouncy Menegon original "Light of Night" closes the set on the upbeat lullaby vibe that following the first go-round, had me flipping over the record for a second listen.
That's it for my "play by play". I'll just conclude by writing what a treat this record is musically and sonically. In some ways the small, intimate production reminds me of Johnny Hartman's Once In Every Life—but only in the sense that it's a small production, superbly recorded, that produces big results (though unlike on the late career Hartman record, Roiger knows all of the lyrics) and deserves a wider audience. In the case of that record, Clint Eastwood put some tunes in his movie adaptation of "The Bridges of Madison County" and Analogue Productions reissued it on AAA (as I recall on my instigation).
Dave Darlington's digital master retains the original tape's dynamic punch (not that I've heard the tape!) and plenty of bottom end too...maybe a bit more than necessary though that may be in the cutting, which appears to have been done at New Press Vinyl in Opa-locka, Florida, the pressing plant started in the 1970's by Reggae pioneer Joe Gibbs. Ya mon! Check out that link. The head engineer is Stan Getz! (obviously not that Stan Getz).
To get this record you'll have to buy a copy through the Valley Jazz Records website. I'm instigating that you do so.
