Pianist Geoffrey Keezer has made a career being a sensitive accompanist for female vocalists, including Denise Donatelli and Margot Gillian as well as an affective teammate for musicians such as Joe Locke and Jim Hall. Here, he teams up with the rich yet flexible voice of Kendra Shank for a concert of rich interpretations. The two avoid the most common pitfall of a project like this, namely a sense of sameness, as they are able to paint various colors and textures throughout the concert. Keezer plays “peek-a-boo” with Shank on ”Alone Together” while using the piano strings as percussion after Shank’s solo intro to Abbey Lincoln’s “The Music Is The Magic.”
Most clever are vocal versions of jazz standards; a Thad Jones theme is delivered with a taffy pull by Shank on ”When Love Was You and Me” and Keezer bops with delight while Shank slides her tone on “Life’s Mosaic.” Their own “ Half Moon” mixes poetry and musical story telling, while “You Are There” creates a sunset of colors.