Fred
Farell (voice); Roberta Piket (piano, musical director); Ratzo Harris (acoustic
bass)
This selection of songs is varied and interesting, ranging from the joy of Bill Evans Waltz For Debbie, the Latin beat of Jobim's Dindi, to the jazz standard Skylark and the melancholy of Spring Can Really Hang You Up The Most. I wish I could say that I enjoyed the singing as much as the songs, but I can't. Fred Farell seemed to be straining to sing the higher notes and was not quite on key for some of the others. Mr Farell has been singing for five decades and will have done lots of good work in the past, but he doesn't seem to do himself justice on this CD.
The interpretation of the songs are quite good and the piano and bass were on the money, with piano solos on most tracks and bass solos on about half of the tracks. It was great to hear so much bass soloing, an instrument I love to listen to. So there was generally satisfactory enjoyment, especially the bass solo on Zal, lots of bowing and Eastern riffs. The most satisfactory singing was on Skylark, on which the singer was on firmer ground.
Farell began singing professionally during military service in the late '60s. He performed in loft galleries and clubs in NYC during the '70s and '80s whilst an artist with Cobi Narita's Universal Jazz Coalition. He has performed at various venues, including Brooklyn Academy of Music and the Museum of Modern Art.
The album is available on CD Baby, Amazon and more.
Lost In The Stars; Waltz For Debbie; Dindi; I'm Glad There Is You; Once I Loved; Spring Can Really Hang You Up The Most; Zal; My Ship; I've Grow Accustomed To Her Face; Skylark; Estate; What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life?; Eon.
Ann Alex
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