The job title 'jazz singer' has been so ill-used that it is a real pleasure to come across someone who really merits the description This CD is a jewel - a set of jazz standards, beautifully sung, played and improvised. Ms. Kerr doesn't scat on this album but she delivers a stream of vocalese with incredible insouciance, that is a delight.
For novitiates, 'scat' is a sung melody or improvisation (prepared or spontaneously invented) with wordless syllables as the 'lyric'. Vocalese is similar but uses words and 'meaning' in the lyric, rather than just syllables. Frequently, vocalese is a version of a 'famous' jazz melody or improvisation, sung with lyrics. It is like 'rap' but with words, rhythm and melody, instead of just words and rhythm.
Jazz melodies and particularly improvisations are usually designed as instrumentals and to transfer the phrasing and timing to words and music is difficult, to say the least, particularly where the original player was free of notated constraints. Ms. Kerr does it admirably, even contributing her own lyrics to three of the tracks.
The title track 'Cloudburst' was originally recorded by its composer, Leroy Kirkland, and his orchestra under his nom de guerre Claude Cloud (he is enshrined on this CD and, as a result, by subsequent reviewers as 'Lerov'). The song was rapidly taken up by Lambert and Hendricks and, at the same time, by an uncelebrated British trombonist, Don Lang. We 'anoraks' will rush to tell you that Mr. Lang's 'Cloudburst' got into the 'UK Top 20' in 1956 - imagine, a scat/vocalese record in the hit parade and only 4 years after Annie Ross had done the same thing with 'Twisted'.
Lambert and Hendricks added Ms. Ross to their team for, possibly, the definitive version of 'Cloudburst' in 1959. Indeed, Trudy Kerr, apart from negotiating her way through all the tracks as successfully as Annie Ross might, also has a hint of the same nasal resonance in her tone - although Ms. Ross' is somewhat more intrusive. For this up-to-date version, following a marching band intro by Steve Brown, Trudy Kerr gives us a rendition at a clip of 260bpm, slaloming through the lyrics with panache.
Ms. Kerr has always been smart with her choice of supporting cast and for this gig she had some of the best. Geoff Gascoigne was presumably off doing rhythm section duties for Jamie Cullum and is replaced by Sam Burgess - a more than adequate substitute. Steve Brown and Tom Cawley, on piano, complete the rhythm section for the album and a fine job they all make of it.
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For Joy Spring, the first time through is piano only colla voce and demonstrates Ms. Kerr's tone and control. Second time, with rhythm, is followed by a knock-out Tom Cawley solo showing how to use the mid-range of the piano. Sam Burgess' solo rounds off a treatment which surely would have pleased Clifford Brown. (I once had a fake book produced in Hong Kong, which had a tune called 'I Remember Crifford')
The Rabbit, a vocalising of Bunny the Gerry Mulligan tribute to Johnny (Bunny) Hodges, has Derek Nash joining in on bari and presumably working the mixing desk with his elbow. Despite that, he contibutes an excellent Mulliganesque solo. Ms. Kerr's working of Coltrane's Moment's Notice either has some tenor overdubbing or Derek Nash has joined Alan Skidmore on the backing. Whatever, Ms. Kerr's lyrics and Mr. Skidmore's solo excitingly evince the spirit of the composer.
In his absence, Mr. Gascoigne did leave five nice arrangements for the ensemble, one being the obligatory Jobim track, in this case, Somewhere In The Hills. Although this track is perhaps only a modified lead sheet, his writing for Mingus' edgy Weird Nightmare and Mal Waldron's Left Alone uses all the horns and some subtle overdubbing to give a nice harmonic depth. Mr. Nash's solo on the latter, is ballad improvising at its best. The treatment of Tad Dameron's On A Misty Night with a segue into September In The Rain, after a cracking bass solo, exploits Dick Pearce's trumpet with the voice and his excellent improvisation.
Jeanine has no arranging credit but swings along with everyone joining in backing the vocal, including Ms. Kerr. The lyrics are by Eddie Jefferson, the writer of the classic lyrics for Moody's Mood For Love and there are a couple of fine solos from Alan Skidmore and Dick Pearce.
Jazz singing is alive and well and living in High Wycombe. This reviewer strongly recommends that you buy some.
You can hear samples of Joy Spring, Ruby My Dear and Cloudburst, which play on Windows Media Player, at [this link].
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'Cloudburst'
