1. Again
2. Because of You
3. He’s a Tramp
4. Sophisticated Lady
5. The Man That Got Away
6. Do You Love Me?
7. I Haven’t Got Anything Better To Do
8. Drop Me A Line
9. True
10. How Long Has This Been Going On?
11. If I Keep My Heart Out of Sight
12. If It’s Magic
13. No One Ever Tells You
14. I’m Confessin’
Alison Burns – Vocals
Martin Taylor – Guitar
I am very familiar with the
work of Martin Taylor: some years ago, he
even made a few appearances with my Big Band.
This was, of course, before he became an international
star on the jazz scene, but even then there
was no doubting his outstanding talent. If
there is anyone who could properly fulfil
the role of accompanying a singer as a single
musician, it’s Martin.
Alison Burns is new to me,
but she is a very polished singer. She lists
Peggy Lee and Lena Horne as two of her favourites
and she has absorbed much of their performances,
but at the same time adding her own unique
ingredient. In her repertoire she is not afraid
to tackle some of the more difficult "standards".
Sophisticated Lady is a good example
where her excellent diction, tuning, intonation
and use of vibrato make for an excellent rendition
of this Duke Ellington classic.
Throughout the album Martin
Taylor provides perfect accompaniment, whilst
at the same time contributing some immaculately
played solos. He is one of the finest jazz
guitarists on the world jazz scene today.
His one-man shows, where he regularly plays
the lead, accompanying part and bass line
of a tune, all at the same time, are stunning
evidence of his ability.
The choice of material is
also good: plenty of well-known melodies interspersed
with less well-known songs and a Taylor/Burns
original called True on track 9.
If you enjoyed the records
that Barney Kessel made with Julie London,
and Joe Pass with Ella Fitzgerald, you will
enjoy this - it is first class.
Don Mather
CD Reviews
P3
P3MCD017
