Label: Umvd
Jazz
When Blue Note brought out Cassandra Wilson's new album Belly of the Sun in April, maybe the company assumed there wouldn't be many serious rivals on the singer's own territory this summer, least of all from Wilson herself. But Universal has shrewdly repackaged a selection from Wilson's much more conventionally jazzy material from the 1980s and early 1990s, in time for her UK gigs this weekend.
The music might come as something of a surprise for anyone who only encountered the starkly dramatic, purple-toned vocalist after she began exploring rootsy guitar-driven acoustic blues over the past six years. But for listeners approaching from a contemporary jazz angle, there's a strong case for these tracks being among the most convincing, revealing and spontaneous music Wilson has so far committed to disc.
These tracks feature only duos, trios or quartets, often resembling Betty Carter's ensembles (as Wilson often echoes Carter's free-falling vocal flexibility) in their percussive and emphatic reactions and challenges. Wilson's dark and grainy sound contrasts sharply with pianist Mulgrew Miller's melodic brightness on Polka Dots and Moonbeams; her dynamic control and rhythmic boldness results in a superb remake of Round Midnight against James Weldman's stabbed piano chords; and a third pianist - Rod Williams - sounds exhilaratingly like a rocking Herbie Hancock on Chelsea Bridge.
Wilson is less at ease with slow ballads such as I've Grown Accustomed to his Face, but her abstract improvising against Lonnie Plaxico's walking bass on Blue Skies shows just how much commanding spontaneity Wilson nowadays keeps in check.
John Fordham, The Guardian.
**
Now a full-fledged vocal star, Cassandra Wilson began her career in the 1980s with a series of recordings for jMT. This collection brings together her interpretations of eleven standards from four of those early records, with a cast of sidemen including Mulgrew Miller and Grachan Moncur III. Essential for any Cassandra Wilson fan, this disc highlights her development as a vocalist and her unique twist on the jazz repertoire.
Original recordings produced by Stefan F. Winter (tracks 1, 5, 7, and 9); Steve Coleman and Stefan F. Winter (tracks 2 and 10); Cassandra Wilson (tracks 3 and 8); and Cassandra Wilson and Jean-Paul Bourelly (tracks 4, 6, and 11).
**
Cassandra Wilson- (Vocals);
Grachan Moncur III- (Trombone);
Mulgrew Miller, James Weidman, Rod Williams- (Piano);
Jean-Paul Bourelly- (Guitar);
Kevin Bruce Harris, Lonnie Plaxico, Reggie Washington- (Bass);
Terri Lyne Carrington, Mark Johnson- (Drums).
**
01. Polka Dots And Moonbeams
02. I Wished On The Moon
03. 'Round Midnight
04. Angel
05. I've Grown Accustomed To His Face
06. Chelsea Bridge
07. I'm Old Fashioned
08. Baubles, Bangles, And Beads
09. Blue Skies
10. Blue In Green
11. Body And Soul
**
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