Cassandra Wilson
Sings standards
 VERVE 589 837-2
Crotchet midprice
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- Polka Dots & Moonbeams
- I Wished on the Moon
- ‘Round Midnight
- Angel
- I’ve Grown Accustomed to His Face
- Chelsea Bridge
- I’m Old Fashioned
- Baubles, Bangles and Beads
- Blue Skies
- Blue in Green
- Body & Soul
This album is a composite of tracks the enigmatic Miss
Wilson made between 1985 and 1981, with four different backing trios.
The albums they are taken from are Point of View, Blue Skies, She Who
Weeps and After the Beginning Again.
The treatment of Polka Dots & Moonbeams,
a delightful old tune, is interesting and effective, she manages to
give it a new dimension without detracting from the quality of it’s
original conception. Mulgrew Miller on piano leads the rhythm section
with distinction.
I Wish On The Moon has a backing of bass and
drums only, but to compensate there is some fine trombone from Grachen
Moncur III.
‘Round About Midnight is less successful than
the first two tracks, her version of the song is not an improvement
on Monk’s original
Angel is a swinging version of an Aretha Franklin
hit and this time I’m with Cassandra, I prefer her version.
She is also at her best with I’ve Grown accustomed
to his Face, once again Mulgrew Miller makes a significant contribution,
together with bass player Lonnie Plexico.
Billy Strayhorn’s Chelsea Bridge finds Cassandra
in wordless improvisation, a part of the jazz singers armoury in which
she is very capable.
I’m Old Fashioned gets my vote for best track,
good tempo great jazz feel excellent backing. Mulgrew Miller again!
In Baubles she starts the tune at the end, which
is remarkably effective and produces an excellent version of the song.
Blue Skies is another pianoless track. There
are not many singers that could carry this off as effectively as Cassandra
Wilson.
Blue in Green is a composition of Miles Davies
and Cassandra Wilson. Like a lot of Miles compositions it is depressing
and this whole track to me was a disappointing, music to commit suicide
to! I was not very much taken with Body and Soul either, tunes
as good as this don’t deserve to be mauled in this way. This version
is in waltz time and the first of the original words is heard 2 minutes
into the track.
This album confirms my previous thoughts about Cassandra
Wilson; I have no doubt that she is one of a very few really important
jazz singers. She constantly seeks out new treatments of her material
and when she is successful the results are sublime. The problem is that
sometimes the results are not good and her version is not effective.
The problem is that she doesn’t seem to know the difference!
Don Mather
CD Reviews
