With Conversations, esteemed vocalist, composer and educator Suzanne Pittson and acclaimed pianist, composer/arranger Bevan Manson present a five-track EP. The fare here includes two selections affiliated with Freddie Hubbard, a Charlie Parker classic, a Sinatra gem, and an infrequently recorded Cole Porter selection. The team which initially collaborated in 2002 and has recorded and performed occasionally since then sends up four duo selections and a fifth featuring a full orchestra and big band.
Hard up-tempo bop is in order with
the killer opener, Like A Byrd (Byrdlike). It’s a direct cover of Freddie
Hubbard’s Birdlike. As volcanic as this track is, Pittson – an adoring
acolyte of the trumpeter - doesn’t miss a beat, dealing up her own lyrics, and
a fiery scat chorus. Manson, a great keyboardist and always a terrific partner,
keeps things cooking and offers a swinging solo. It’s a speedball of an opener.
Cole Porter’s After You is a balladic tour de force for the duo. On this
take, Pittson demonstrates the vast range and depth of her chops. Intimate, yet
dramatic and evoking the listener’s deep involvement, her lyric interpretation
is splendid. Manson, no second fiddle, frames Pittson with lush impressions.
His ensuing solo is a fascinating exercise in expression. One can almost hear
the song’s lyrics as he improvises. Charlie Parker’s Confirmation, no
easy melodic line for a singer or instrumentalist (the tune is a contrafact of Twilight
Time), has Pittson scatting the melody before taking off on a scat
excursion. She’s a stone Paganini running through the changes with flair and
fire. Manson takes off demonstrating his own virtuosity and
creativity in the bop mold.
According to the one-sheet, the duo tracks
on this EP were originally recorded as a demo back in 2002. The tunes were discussed
and selected, arrangements freely structured, on came the red light and the duo
was off and running. Pittson, always an incredibly deft and adventurous artist,
is a virago on the burner tracks. Conversely, on the two ballads she’s
sensitive and engaging, drawing you into both lyric and sound. Manson, who has
firm stance in both the classical and jazz world’s is a musical Nureyev to
Pittson’s Fonteyn - a truly great jazz conversationalist and accompanist.
I’m a Fool to Want You, long associated with
Frank Sinatra, Chet Baker, et al, is a highlight. Pittson, with deadly aim, sucks
all of the emotional juice out of the lyrics. Her instrument soars here. Manson’s
accompaniment is appropriately harmonically dark. His solo take is in itself a
symphony in texture and depth. Out of the Hub (One of Another Kind) is
the outlier on the session. Backed by a full orchestra and a cadre of LA big
band jazz stalwarts, the selection is a take on Freddie Hubbard’s One of
Another Kind. The intro has woodwinds and strings swirling with Pittson’s
voice offering the four-note motif before things burst into a straight-ahead killer.
Pittson scats a fine solo in unison with her own synth keys. Manson’s brilliant
arrangement is more than vaguely reminiscent of Gil Evans’ charts for the legendary
Miles Davis recordings. It is a superior closer to the album.
Conversations is an outstanding recording in every possible regard. While it has long dwelled in the darkness of Pittson’s vault and now fully released and available, this vintage without doubt possesses Michelin Three-Grapes quality. Salud. Nick Mondello
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