Partners in music and in life it was inconceivable that this duo recording would be anything other than the triumphant coming together, musically speaking, of two like-minded souls.
Give the couple ten pieces of magic to work on and the resulting product is beyond perfection.
Blame it on my Youth: Is there a better, more perceptive reflection of the highs and lows of a first love? Of course there is although one may have to go back to the works of Shakespeare to find them. I'm sure that Margot and Keezer would wow them at the original Globe (not to be confused with the Newcastle jazz bar of the same name).
Thou Swell: Larry Hart nodded to the Bard with his lyric but Margot doth forsooth move forward with some boppy scatting á la Ella with Keezer the perfect pianist/partner. These two certainly aren't star-crossed!
The Greatest Story Ever Told: A composition by Keezer's mentor Donald Brown with lyrics by Brown's wife Dorothy display the pianist's harmonic depth and the singer's accurate pitching.
Joyce (Viva o Rio de Janeiro): A lively, wordless Latin romp on a Brazilian classic by Hermeto Pascoal. There's also some percussive shaking going on by Rogério Boccato.
Lush Life: Despite being composed by Billy Strayhorn who knew a thing or two about both the jazz life and the life depicted in the lyric I often think of the song as one of those pseudo/classical semi-operatic arias that the Gershwins made a few bucks out of. The feeling is upheld by Margot's mildly theatrical approach to the verse which, incidentally, doesn't do it any harm.
Eternal Child: I didn't know that Chick Corea was actually born Armando Corea until I read the composer credits. There's also an Anthony slotted in as a middle name on his birth certificate. However, once the music starts it soon becomes obvious that this is the work of the master. Margot, herself an eternal child at heart, skips playfully around the melody with Corean like support from Keezer.
A Timeless Place (The Peacocks): Norma Winstone's lyric to Jimmy Rowles' melody is a gloomy dirge in fact you'd probably have to go back once again to old Shakey to find a gloomier lyric although some of those Russian storytellers such as Dostoevsky worked that side of the street pretty well too. Nevertheless, Margot ensures that the listener doesn't get too depressed.
Day In, Day Out: Keezer blows away the dark clouds of the previous track with a technical exercise that takes us to places that only favours the brave, where only those who've practised as per the song's title dare to enter. Margot gives him plenty of rein before stamping it with her own identity.
Here Comes the Flood: A song by Peter Gabriel from his first solo album after leaving Genesis - I wonder why he didn't call the album Exodus? There has, over the years, been some debate as to the meaning behind the song's title. Gabriel's explanation is HERE - I'm still none the wiser. However, that's neither here nor there. What concerns potential punters is what Margot and Keezer do with it - they do enough.
All My Tomorrows: Give Sammy Cahn and Jimmy Van Heusen an order to write a song for Frank Sinatra and the odds are that they will come up with a winner - 'Ol Blue Eyes don't do losers. Plus, once our man has/had his pound of flesh it becomes open season for the song. Margot and Keezer may have left it late but they've taken what's left and made it their own. Some nice guitar work from Peter Sprague Adds to the feel.
A delightful album that hits the street on May 23 on their own MarKeez Records. Lance
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