Hazel's
Hips - a bump and grind number written by Oscar Brown Jr.
got me fascinated from the off to the extent that I was thinking about those
hips of Hazel more than I perhaps should have been! Incidentally, Weekes' performance
is dedicated to a thwarted romance between the then unknown Sidney Poitier and
her Aunt Dolores who, at the time, was waitressing at a luncheonette he frequented.
Summer Samba - as nice and frothy as it usually is with the bonus of a violin solo by Mark Cargill who also did the string arrangement.
Christo Redentor/I Want Jesus to Walk With Me - a doomy religious mix redeemed (no pun intended) by Phil Upchurch's guitar work. Duke Pearson composed the former tune.
Sistermoon/Summertime - another mix (Sting meets the Gershwins) that's given an emotive take. Given the right singer, the much maligned Porgy and Bess opus works. Amber Weekes is very much the right singer for this and, indeed, all 12 tracks.
My Romance - again beautifully sung.
Don't You Feel my Leg - Danny Barker had a hand (in the music) and Lu Barker provided the raunchy lyric: Don't you feel my leg, 'cos if you feel my leg, you'll want to feel my thigh, and if you feel my thigh, you'll want to go up high... Phil Upchurch once again plays some bluesy guitar.
The Bar Suite: Three classic saloon songs of loving and losing. Something Cool; One For my Baby; The Man That Got Away. You've heard them by Christy, Sinatra and Garland and they are, of course, the definitive versions. But, possibly, only because they got there first.
Lovers; 'Round Midnight and More Than You Know round off a superb album by a singer, not unknown to our reviewers and one to check out. If she turns up on a NYC livestream log in even if it means staying up into the wee small hours.
It's been a good year for singers so far and this one ranks alongside all of them.
Lance
Amber Weekes (vocals); Danny Grissett/Eddy Olivieri (piano); Trevor Ware (bass); Sherman Ferguson (drums); Louis Van Taylor (alto sax); Phil Upchurch/Greg Cook (guitar); Scott Steen (trumpet); Mark Cargill (violin/producer/string arrangements/conductor + strings.
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