Lauren Lee is a native of St Louis who now lives in New York, and this is her third album as a leader. There are six original songs, two standards, and two instrumentals, Metheny's Unity Village and Shorter's Footprints. Ms Lee's intention was to get people to rethink the nature of jazz on piano and vocals.
Before the pandemic, Ms Lee had recorded four of the originals which were intended to be released as an EP, but she later decided to add some pieces which had been originally meant to be played by a trio, resulting in this album.
I'm afraid that much of this music was not to my taste. The original songs are mostly okay lyrically but there was lots of scat which didn't seem to be related very much to the tune, and which sounded a bit 'samey' after a few tracks.
The standards, both ballads, If I Should Lose You and I Should Care were more effective, performed with the keyboard, but even these showed too much use of the trembling keys effect. The instrumental pieces were probably the better numbers, played skilfully on piano, with a distinct one/two footprints pattern on the piece of that name. Ms Lee's voice is quite sweet and flexible, but this CD is rather a missed opportunity.
Available on the ears&eyes label via the usual suspects.
Ann Alex
Cogitation;
Up in the Air; Mad House; If I Should Lose You; Another Reality; Unity Village;
I Should Care; Boxes; Footprints; Cocoon
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