What to sing? What to sing? How to sing it?
Here are three two ladies that take different paths.
Brigitte Zarie knocked me out with a left hook with her smoking debut last year. This sophomore release is just as tempting. She mixes and matches moods with a hot band that includes Randy Brecker/tp on a sleek “Where There Is Love”, and her other originals such as “Don’t Forget Me” and the title track (with two versions in two languages) showing her mix of Patsy Cline twinkle and Peggy Lee lilt. She’s able to coo with credibility on a sensual “Corcovado” and then pulls out a ringer with a clever reading of Johnny Cash’s “Walk The Line” to show that she’s got some moxie. This lady is a force to be dealt with!
Glenna Houston also composes much of the music she sings, and songs such as “Spare Change” and “Lullaby For A Boy” are quite poignant. She’s got the bebop feel, as she demonstrates on a snappy little take of Clifford Brown’s “Beloved.” She also takes a well worn standard and shakes it loose, with a reading of “L.O.V.E” that hot off the coles, and the reading as well of “Mockingbird” sounds like a new and fresh trip to the taylor. The team of Sheldon Zanboer/p, Simon Fisk/b and Robin Tufts/dr work as an adroit trio. Original and accessible within the tradition.
Natalie Cressman goes a completely different path altogether. Part quirky indie-folk and part post bop jazzer, she mixes an incredibly erudite horn section of Ivan Rosenberg/tp, Steven Lugerner/fl-dl-bcl, James Casey/ts along with a flexible rhythm team of Samora Pinderhughes/keys, Gabe Schnider/g, Jonathan Stein/b and Michael Mitchell/dr through a collection of originals. Her clear and girl next door wholesomeness mixes well with the jazz title track and the quirkily percussive “New Moon” that mixes flutes, percussion and handclaps with creativity. Some slick bass licks on “ Do Not As I Do” and on “Blindsided” set a stage for the horns to weave in and out of Cressman’s vocals, while her a cappela intro to “Checkout Time” veers into an intriguing minimalist environment. Clever thoughts oozing out all over.