Back in my early blogging days whenever I was in London Wednesday evenings at the Spice of Life were always high on my agenda. Wednesdays at the Spice, curated by Paul Pace, was devoted to jazz singers and the audience were serenaded by aspiring vocalists from both near and afar. Needless to say the variety varied but I can't recall hearing anyone who was less than good. Certainly not Esther Bennett who never failed to impress.
This appropriately named album dates back even earlier (1999-2001) and is made up of demo tracks recorded with two of the finest musicians resident in London at the time.
Tracks 1-7 were made with Australian guitarist Ramsay McInnes who was resident in London at the time. His accompaniment and solos are the perfect cushion for Bennett's slightly husky vocals. Even then the voice was emerging moth-like from a vocal chrysalis. I particularly liked her take on At Seventeen. I'd only heard Janis Ian's original and Bennett loses little by comparision - perhaps even jazzier.
Tracks 8-10 are with the late piano legend John China and he does the job to perfection. On See See Rider both display a deep feeling for the blues whilst on Them There Eyes, the only out and out uptempo track, China's solo is my idea of perfection.
The final Evil Gal Blues is an earthy 12 bar opus seemingly composed by Lionel Hampton and Leonard Feather and put on wax by Dinah Washington in 1944. For this one McInnes returns, Bennett scats a few bars and Watson, Hutton and Fletcher bring out Mama Esther's streetwise vocal.
Esther Bennett may have recorded better albums but they don't mean a thing without hearing this one first otherwise it's like starting a book half way through - love it. Lance
Dream a Little Dream of me; Don't Explain; Until You Come Back to me; Love me or Leave me; At Seventeen; Strollin'; I Can't Get Started; You go to my Head; See See Rider; Them There Eyes; Evil Gal Blues.
No comments :
Post a Comment