Beverly Taft: Meets The Nathan Hiltz Orchestra

Want some sounds that feel like all that’s right about jazz vocalists, but sick of the standards? Step right up and give an ear to Canuck canary Beverly Taft. She’s got a feel and sound like a husky Anita O’Day, but with a wider range and dynamic. Her feel for finger snappers is bona fide, and she uses it to perfection of this release with The Nathan Hiltz Orchestra which is a compact semi-big band of Hiltz/g with Rich Underhill/as, Shawn Nykwist/ts, William Carn/tb, Jake Wilkinson/tp, Artie Roth/b and Sly Juihas/dr. She and the band have some fun on pieces such as a slinky “Clock Tickin’ Blues” (with a nice sol by Underhill) as well as a loose and lazy “Behind the Clouds.” She goes latin lover on a samba-ish “Soft Colours by the Sea Wall” while goes bopper on “Trav’llin’ Along”. A tip of the hat to “Twisted” is felt on the wild and wacky “Bouncin’ Round My Brain” which features the bandleader on a cooking little solo, while a duet with pianist Adrean Farrugia on the closing “Izzie & Birdie” feels like it’s the last song before the chairs are stacked on the tables. You’re gonna fall for this lady! When’s she and the gang coming to the Best Coast?

www.beverlytaft.com

 

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