An established pianist, composer and arranger across several genres, Janette Mason adapts those skills to interpret a variety of pop, jazz and songbook standards into a very personal context.
Gary Numan's Cars varies in tempo starting with a jumpy, repetitive rifflike motif before going into a reflective mood then building back up to the original theme. Mason the Bass is heard to good advantage.
Bowie's John, I'm Only Dancing is given an Afro-Cuban workout. Piano swings with bass in close attendance - are the two Masons related? - Ford lays down the rhythm with the Masons up front: Janette vamping rich harmonies and Tom up and down the fingerboard like the proverbial rat up a drain pipe.
Janette composed Prayer for the Planet as a heartfelt plea for environmental awareness. Paul Booth blows sympathetic and meaningful tenor and the vocal choir add to the concept behind the composition. It's rather beautiful.
Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered. Has a Bachian flavour from Janette with Tom's contrapuntal line emphasising the fuguelike approach the leader has taken. Even without Larry Hart's risque lyric, Richard Rodgers' melody is still a fine tune and this version doesn't do it any harm at all.
Good For U brought Paul Booth back into the game and he let fly with a chorus that positively sizzled my eyebrows just listening! Janette slowed it down but didn't lower the temperature, Paul really was on fire - a north east (and beyond) legend in his lifetime.
Kate Bush's The Man With the Child in His Eyes reimagined harmonically. Arco bass, discreet woodchopping from Ford and piano perfection from Janette. I think that Kate herself would have approved of Janette's arrangement.
Eleanor Rigby. Sometimes songs by the Beatles sound better without the words and this is one of them. Piano, bass and drums hit a groove that lifts it to a jazzier level.
Lullaby of Birdland. A tribute to composer George Shearing, it begins with a rhapsodic out of tempo theme. Bass takes an inventive solo full of juicy harmonies before Janette hits a bluesy interlude swinging in a very personal style.
Don't Look Back in Anger stems from the pianist's time touring with Oasis and is piano all the way. It's also the final track of an intriguing album. I'm unfamiliar with several of the songs so I guess I'll have to check them out yet, then again, upon reflection these versions will do me! Lance.
Release date (CD & digital) April 25 on JM Music in association with ECN Music.
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