Musicians: Deborah Latz – vocals, Daniella Schachter – piano, Bob Bowen – bass, Elisabeth Keledjian – drums; special guest Joel Frahm – tenor saxophone
Review:
Singer and music arranger Deborah Latz knows just how to create a very intimate mood for her audience. Her latest release Lifeline purveys a deeper layer to the torchlight glow, which permeates from her vocals with a pinch of zesty cocktail-jazz reminiscent of Rosie Carlino and smooth sleek purrs relatable to Stevie Holland. Lifeline is the follow up to Latz’s 2004 debut record Toward Love, and recalls a time when jazz music connected with audiences on an intimate level. Her songs display a keen level of sensitivity and fan the flames of tranquility with gently brushed strokes and reclining harmonies. Latz’s songs produce a soothing setting relatable to the singers of the ‘50s like Lena Horn and Dinah Washington. Latz sings a few tracks in French like “Les Feuilles Mortes,” “Que Reste-t-il De Nos Amours,” and “La Vie En Rose” with a vocal threading that has the high-class stylizing of Edith Piaf.
Latz tells about the song selection for Lifeline in the liner notes that “When I chose these songs, I didn’t know this album was about my mother, but it’s clear to me now.” The soothing way which Frahm’s saxophone softly touches Latz’s vocals in “Les Feuilles Mortes” is loving and the light Latin-tinged percussive beats are danceable. The warm timbres of Schachter’s piano keys in “I Get Along Without You Very Well” cradle Latz’s vocals beautifully, and Latz’s interpretation of the jazz standards “Witchcraft” and “Tea For Two” bring out the perky side of her vocals slipping and sliding with such natural control. The creamy fluidity of “Que Reste-t-il De Nos Amours” and “Waltz For Debby” is alluring as Latz’s vocal purrs shroud the tunes in satiny textures. The rhythmic swagger of “Jump In” and “Make Someone Happy” have a swing-jazz pounce and a showtunes vibe with sprinkles of light peppy jolts that entice the listener to jump on board. Her rendition of “My Favorite Things” has a cheerful spree that is sure to be memorable, even though it is off the beaten path that most people may recall when Julie Andrews sang this song in the movie The Sound Of Music. Latz makes this song truly her own.
Sometimes Latz makes the mood feel seductive like in “Don’t Explain” and “The Sweetest Sounds” with catacombs of low-lit illumination flickering softly through the movements. And then there are those that have an upbeat saunter in the piano keys like for “I Didn’t Know What Time It Was” and “How Deep Is The Ocean” as Latz’s vocals move with a joyful tapping. Deborah Latz concludes Lifeline with the soft reflective piece “La Vie En Rose’ as she sings to the audience and the piano keys support her elegantly contoured vocals lovingly. This is a song that found its notoriety by being Edith Piaf’s masterpiece. Deborah Latz’s rendition certainly reawakens this song’s vitality.
For Deborah Latz, it’s not in the songs that she selected for Lifeline that make it special, but in the way she touches the words and in the way that the music cradles her voice. Produced by Latz and Don Flagg, Lifeline is destined to be one of those eternal gemstones in jazz music’s archives that people turn to when they fancy interpretations of standards that keep them elevated in a favorable light.
Tracks: Les Feuilles Mortes, I Get Along Without You Very Well, Witchcraft, Tea For Two/Day In – Day Out, Make Someone Happy, Jump In, Rest-t-il De Nos Amours, Don’t Explain, The Sweetest Sounds, I Didn’t Know What Time It Was, How Deep Is The Ocean, La Vie En Rose
JazzReview.com
