Fini Bearman – voice, Matt Calvert –
guitars, Ross Stanley – organ, piano, Wurlitzer, Jon Cox – bass, John Blease –
drums, percussion.
(Review by
Debra M.)
Fini Bearman’s second album Porgy and Bess is a reimagining of the Gershwin & DuBose
Heyward opera ‘through the prism of the classic Miles Davis/Gil Evans’ album’,
but clearly has many other influences too. She and her collaborators have
interpreted the music quite differently to their predecessors, whilst
maintaining the strength of the narrative.
Gone, Gone,
Gone
opens with a funereal drum roll, which transforms into a rocking lament for the
deceased Robbins, with a passionate vocal from Bearman. The sombre mood
continues with the reflective and despairing My Man’s Gone Now, a slow waltz with a country feel, inspired by
Robert Plant’s & Allison Krautz’s Rising
Sands.
There is light relief and a complete change in
style with I Got Plenty of Nuttin’,
which is given a swinging Rockabilly treatment, and features a fluid organ solo
by Ross Stanley, rounded off with
relaxed vocal improvisation and a cracking drum groove to finish. In contrast,
Bearman’s delicate, direct delivery of Porgy
I’m Your Woman Now is beautifully supported by Matt Calvert’s plucked
guitar.
It Ain’t
Necessarily So is a Hendrix inspired bluesy rock number, well delivered,
but possibly not the ideal treatment for such a light and witty lyric. However, the mood is just right in I Loves You Porgy, with atmospheric
guitar and cymbals augmenting an initially tentative and then heartfelt
vocal. The story draws to a close with There’s A Boat That’s Leaving, which is
laid back & groovy, and has a powerful soul infused vocal , and an
uncharacteristically straight ahead jazz
guitar solo from Matt Calvert. The relaxed vibe & potential to swing is
tempered by the drummer Blease’s on the beat emphasis, possibly a deliberate
echo of the sombre backdrop in earlier tracks.
The album ends with the freely improvised Prayer (Summertime), bearing no
resemblance to Gershwin’s overused classic; it has an ethereal, quiet
beginning, which the ensemble develops and expands in support of the
liberating, wordless vocal climax.
Apparently, there was some debate as to whether to include this track,
but their contemporary approach impressively evokes the themes of oppression
and loss, love and hope, a demonstration of how this work
has inspired generations of musicians.
Debra M.
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