Cassandra Wilson : Sings Standards
1. Polka Dots And Moonbeams
2. I Wished On The Moon
3. 'Round Midnight
4. Angel
5. I've Grown Accustomed To His Face
6. Chelsea Bridge
7. I'm Old Fashioned
8. Baubles, Bangles, And Beads
9. Blue Skies
10. Blue In Green
Personnel:
Cassandra Wilson (vocals);
Grachan Moncur III (trombone);
Mulgrew Miller, James Weidman, Rod Williams (piano);
Jean-Paul Bourelly (guitar);
Kevin Bruce Harris, Lonnie Plaxico, Reggie Washington (bass);
Terri Lyne Carrington, Mark Johnson (drums).
Jazz fans who complain about not hearing enough jazz in Cassandra Wilson's eclectic sound, which has increasingly tilted toward pop and blues, will find ample rewards in this collection of her (relatively) straight-ahead efforts from the late '80s. Drawing from four albums for the JMT label, it charts her steady growth away from Brooklyn's electric, funk-based M-Base school and into an earthier, more personal approach. Going to school herself on Betty Carter's elastic time feel and unhurried rhythms, she avoids predictability on songs such as "'Round Midnight" and a wordless rendering of Billy Strayhorn's "Chelsea Bridge." There's less interest in her handling of earlier standards such as "I'm Old Fashioned" and "Blue Skies," which lack depth, but never any lack of attractiveness. --Lloyd Sachs
Forget the debates about whether or not Cassandra Wilson is a jazz vocalist -- here she proves she is one of the most original, creative and intelligent jazz musicians of our time. Her instrument -- the voice -- is rich and robust. Body and Soul might very well be her masterpiece.
1. Polka Dots And Moonbeams
2. I Wished On The Moon
3. 'Round Midnight
4. Angel
5. I've Grown Accustomed To His Face
6. Chelsea Bridge
7. I'm Old Fashioned
8. Baubles, Bangles, And Beads
9. Blue Skies
10. Blue In Green
Personnel:
Cassandra Wilson (vocals);
Grachan Moncur III (trombone);
Mulgrew Miller, James Weidman, Rod Williams (piano);
Jean-Paul Bourelly (guitar);
Kevin Bruce Harris, Lonnie Plaxico, Reggie Washington (bass);
Terri Lyne Carrington, Mark Johnson (drums).
Jazz fans who complain about not hearing enough jazz in Cassandra Wilson's eclectic sound, which has increasingly tilted toward pop and blues, will find ample rewards in this collection of her (relatively) straight-ahead efforts from the late '80s. Drawing from four albums for the JMT label, it charts her steady growth away from Brooklyn's electric, funk-based M-Base school and into an earthier, more personal approach. Going to school herself on Betty Carter's elastic time feel and unhurried rhythms, she avoids predictability on songs such as "'Round Midnight" and a wordless rendering of Billy Strayhorn's "Chelsea Bridge." There's less interest in her handling of earlier standards such as "I'm Old Fashioned" and "Blue Skies," which lack depth, but never any lack of attractiveness. --Lloyd Sachs
Forget the debates about whether or not Cassandra Wilson is a jazz vocalist -- here she proves she is one of the most original, creative and intelligent jazz musicians of our time. Her instrument -- the voice -- is rich and robust. Body and Soul might very well be her masterpiece.
