Pianist Matt Catingub uses modern recording technology to mix recordings of his mother, Mavis Rivers, with a collection of studio musicians in big band, string and small combo sessions. If that info were not in the liner notes, I never would have known, as the recording sounds fresh and vibrant, mostly because Ms Rivers’ delivery is in the same mode.
Ms. Rivers came up recording with Capitol Records and Reprise Records, following along with her idol Frank Sinatra. The album contains elements from both periods, featuring straight swing and artsy ideas. She scats throughout a big sax section read of “It Don’t Mean A Thing” while lilts around the lush strings of “ I Remember You”. A teaming of layered voices make for a virtual choir on a hip take of the obscure Cy Coleman ditty “On Second Thought”. There’s a nice and romantic bossa on “Desifinado”, reminiscent of the Sinatra and Jobim album, while “All My Tomorrows” sounds like it came from one of Blue Eyes’ ‘blue’ concept albums. Rivers herself has a delivery and style a bit like a cross between Sarah Vaughan and Ruth Brown, stylish with a bit of oomph. A surprisingly pleasant discovery of a “new” “old” artist.