Delivery of voice in various moods…
Lyn Stanley sounds world wise on this long shadowed album with a rotating team that includes Mike Garson/p, Tamir Hendelman/p, Chrisitan Jacob/p, Chuck Berghofer/b, Joe LaBarbera/dr, Raby Brinker/dr, Bernie Dresel/dr and various guests on reeds, brass and string. The moods are noir with sepia tones, as Chuck Findley’s trumpet sighs along with the singer on”All or Nothing At All” and Ricky Woodard growls on a slinky “Willow Weep For Me.” With Hendelman, Stanley is delicate and desultory on “How Insensitive” while finger snappy with John Chiodini’s guitar on a sardonic “Why Don’t You Do Right?” She sounds always in control, and like she’s seen it all, yet still surprised by what she sees.
MJ Territo leads a flexible band of Linda Presgrave/p, Iris Ornig/b and Barbara Merjan/dr through a mix of songs composed by members of the same sex. Her own “No Time For Snoozin’” has her sassy and strutting along, while Virginia Meyhew’s tenor adds to the cabaret atmosphere of “Strange Fascination.” She is playful with Andrea Brachfeld’s flute on a bright read of “In Your Own Sweet Way” and is her boppiest with Ornig’s bass on “You Know Who.” Her voice has a lot of stretch to it, making some of the songs a bit freer than usual. Creative collectivity.
Wistful vocalist Laura Campisi leads an intuitive team of Ameen Saleem/b, Gianluca Renzi/eb, Greg Hutchinson/-Flavio Li Vigni/dr and various guests through a wide ranging mix of originals, pop tunes and standards. All the while, Campisi and company keep the music abstract and loose, delivering soft pastels on “Chorus Angelorum” and “Ironman” while delivering an edgy read of “Nardis” and a free range vocal on “The More You Know.” Abstract and impressionistic sounds on “I Loves You Porgy” and a spoken intro to a hip-hoppy “Love For Sale” will keep you on your toes, making this album feel like a bohemian night in a beat coffee shop past the midnight hour.