Back in the early 80s Ella Fitzgerald recorded a handful of duet albums with guitarist Joe Pass, and while Ella had by then lost a bit of her chops, she more than made up for it with expression. Vocalist Adrienne West teams up with guitarist Alession Menconi get together to make a one album tribute to that summit meeting by revisiting some of those songs. West’s voice, manner and style are from a different era, sounding a bit more like Nnenna Freelon with a bit of husk, and Menconi’s style is more traditional than Pass. Still, the album works well on its own merits, and the duo do it well.
“I May Be Wrong” has a spry cheerfulness, and West has a rich and full voice on “My Ship.” Menoni does some clipped chords on a spry “Love For Sale and some nice picking on “Rain.” They both coalesce with West’s vibrato melding with gentle rhythms on “Love Dance” and Menconi bends the strings until they beg for mercy while West sounds chipper on “Gee Baby, Ain’t I Good to You.” A strong release in its own right.
Dot Time Records