Brianna Thomas (vocal); Allyn
Johnson (piano); Yasushi Nakamura (bass); Ulysses Owens Jr. (drums). Also
featuring on some tracks: Russell Malone (guitar) Marcus Printup (trumpet);
Wycliffe Gordon, Nick Grinder (trombones); Tivon Penticott (tenor sax); Riza
Printup (harp)
(Review by Ann Alex).
Ms Thomas, from Peoria, Ill. has sung
with jazz greats such as Clark Terry and Wynton Marsalis both at home and
abroad as well as being a jazz educator teaching in New York City schools.
This is her debut CD.
A varied selection of songs - standards
such as Bye Bye Blackbird and Duke
Ellington’s Daydream; Stevie Wonder’s
Never Dreamed You’d Leave In Summer; You Must Believe In Spring (Michel
LeGrand); and 4 original songs, including the entertaining Bree’s Blues - sung in a pleasing,
‘smokey’ toned voice accompanied by musicians who, needless to say, are well up
to the job.
Personally, I found some
of the tracks unappealing as the distinctive style of singing didn’t really
grab me. Too much pointless scatting, too fussy and over-dramatic. I’m even tempted to say that Ms Thomas is a
better song writer than performer, as her own songs were rather good. The guest soloists did well, especially the
unusual harp on Lover Of My Soul;
this song was a love song (original) with a hymn-like quality. Another original I Should Have Known included a Wycliffe
Gordon trombone solo which sounded as if the player was talking through the
instrument. This was very skilled
playing but I’m afraid I found it rather disconcerting – other tracks had
trombone solos which were more pleasing, straightforward and even
tender-sounding.
The tracks I did enjoy included Daydream, with its long effective piano
solo; In A Mellow Tone, which was very mellow, particularly the Marcus
Printup trumpet solo: Stardust, with
just voice and bass; Bree’s
Blues and You Must Believe In Spring,
which was sung to guitar only.
The CD was issued on Sound On
Purpose Records on May 26. See www.briannathomas.com
Ann Alex.
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