Tierney
Sutton (vocals); Christian Jacob (piano); Serge Merlaud (guitar); Kevin Axt
(electric bass); Trey
Henry (acoustic bass); Ray Brinker (drums) Alan Bergman (vocals track 12); all
arrangements by Sutton, Henry, Jacob, Axt and Brinker.
(Review by Ann Alex)
Well,
I think I may now have been promoted to blog detective for BSH! Unlike most of
the albums sent for review which come in lavishly packaged jewel cases with
notes that require 20:20 vision to decipher, this promo CD came with only a cardboard insert
showing a list of tunes, arrangers and some featured musicians. I listed the
musicians, thinking this was a big band of unnamed personnel. On finding a
website I discovered it was actually a sextet, led by female singer Tierney
Sutton, whom I had supposed to be a man. So much for my feminist credentials.
And what a fine singer indeed! This may well be my CD of the Month, or even of
the Year.
Ms
Sutton hails from Omaha, USA and has already had 8 Grammy nominations as well
as finishing only 2 votes behind Diana Krall in the 2018 DownBeat Critics Poll.
She trained at Berklee College of Music and is a jazz educator as well as an
arranger. Previous CDs have included one based on the music of Sting. The band
wrote the music for the Clint Eastwood film Sully. This is their ninth CD.
All
the tunes are songs from films, so we have the music of composers such as
Michel Legrand, Paul Simon and Stephen Sondheim. But each tune is skilfully
arranged as jazz, so well that it's hard to believe that they were ever played
any other way. The singing is beautiful, Ms Sutton really knows how to use her
voice as an instrument, and each song tells a story, acted out well. It goes
without saying that the musicians are stellar. It is impossible to convey the
quality of the music in print so I'll mention some favourite tracks, and list
all the tracks and the films that they came from.
Calling
You and Moon River are two songs woven together seamlessly, slow and
contemplative.
I've
Got No Strings cleverly becomes a strong, feminist song, sung slowly to a
military beat from the drums.
If
I Only Had a Brain is sung saucily with word play and features the music of
both basses.
Diamonds
Are a Girls Best Friend is perky with voice and drums. I didn't realise how
amusing the lyrics are, e.g. 'It's then that those louses go back to their
spouses'.
Track
list: The Windmills of Your Mind (The Thomas Crown Affair); Moon River/Calling
You (Breakfast At Tiffany's/Baghdad Cafe); On a Clear Day (On A Clear Day You
Can See Forever)
What
Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life (The Happy Ending); I've Got No Strings
(Pinocchio);
If
I Only Had A Brain (The Wizard Of Oz); The Sound Of Silence (The Graduate);
Goodbye For Now (Reds); Diamonds Are a Girls Best Friend (Gentlemen Prefer
Blondes); Hopelessly Devoted To You (Grease); You're The One That I Want
(Grease); How Do You Keep The Music Playing (Best Friends); Ev'ry Now And Then
(not the pop song, Mulholland Falls); It Might Be You (Tootsie); Arrow (Sully).
Screenplay is now available - see www.tierneysutton.com
Ann Alex
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