Musicians: Ginny Carr (vocals); Robert McBride
(vocals); Lisanne Lyons (vocals); Roger
Reynolds (vocals) and featuring Doug
Bickel (piano); John Toomey (piano); Frank
Russo (drums); Peter Revell (bass); Tom
Baldwin (bass); Chip McNeill (tenor sax);
Tim Leahey (trumpet, flugelhorn); Chris
Vadala (alto sax); Jay Gibble (trombone);
Donato Soviero (guitar); Joe Jackson
(trombone); Dan Reynolds (piano); Shawn
Purcell (guitar); Leonardo Lucini (bass);
Alejandro Lucini (drums); Pat Shrieves
(percussion).
Review: Having had the opportunity to review this group’s 1999 CD, Half-Past Swing, it was encouraging to notice that the personnel has not changed. Many of the studio musicians have returned too. That album brought the quartet to prominence and reached the #2 spot in jazz sales by Amazon.com in the year 2000.
Since jumping onto the scene with all eight feet, the quartet has been favorably compared to Manhattan Transfer and Lambert, Hendricks & Ross. Spokesperson, Ginny Carr informed us that the group has been featured on Al Jarreau’s series, The Jazz Singers for Jazz Smithsonian. This writer caught their performance at the Ottawa International Jazz Festival in 2001 and they really swing.
These folks are not imitators and have developed their own bright jazz style. If I were to compare them to anyone stylistically, it would have to be to the Four Freshmen, a group that has survived four decades of fickle tastes in jazz.
The Uptown Vocal Jazz Quartet calls Washington, DC home although one member lives in Miami. The outfit has a wonderful approach in selecting material. They have no fear and stride effortlessly between the diverse compositional styles of Chick Corea, George Gershwin and Dizzy Gillespie. The quartet’s version of Fred Rose and Walter Hirsch’s 1926 hit, ’Deed I Do is entirely fresh and exciting. Ginny Carr’s own composition, Le Souffle Dernier d’Hiver will delight French speaking listeners in all parts of the world. Kicking off Birth of the Blues in a novel way, the vocalists step back and ushers in players John Toomey and Chris Vadala who strut their stuff on piano and soprano sax.
One can’t help but admire the writing skills of Ginny Carr and Robert McBride. There are four songs on the CD penned jointly and separately by the two singers. Jazz Face, When The Sun Goes Down and Secrets Held By Time are pieces that will, no doubt, be adopted by other jazz performers.
A highlight on the album is the a cappellatreatment of the 1877 song In The Gloaming. It’s imaginative and as fresh as tomorrow’s breakfast. You’ll enjoy the Uptown Vocal Jazz Quartet. They offer a lot of talent in a small package.
Tracks: Love Walked In; You’re Everything; ‘Deed I
Do; And The Melody Lingers On; Le Souffle
Dernier d’Hiver; Birth Of The Blues; Jazz
Face; When The Sun Goes Down; Secrets
Held By Time; He Beeped When He Should
Have Bopped; You Don’t Love Me Like You
Used To; In The Gloaming.
JazzReview.com
