Ballads – Remembering John Coltrane (Concord Jazz)
Karrin Allyson
Released May 22, 2001
Grammy Nominee for Best Jazz Vocal Album 2002
YouTube:
https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_mczNdKLDpNMoPHyfFK8cRKo8T1dYWbeAc
Spotify:
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About:
Karrin Allyson sings straight from the heart of the music, with a warmly personal style that draws listeners in and holds them close. She is both a vocalist and a pianist.
Allyson’s 7th Concord release, Ballads – Remembering John Coltrane, is a respectful homage to one of jazz’s most influential instrumentalists and composers. Allyson reprised Coltrane’s 1961/62 recording of the same title with the help of a crack team of talented players, featuring pianist James Williams, bassist John Patitucci, drummer Lewis Nash, and three outstanding saxophonists – Bob Berg and James Carter on tenor, and Steve Wilson on soprano. Allyson plays piano on “I Wish I Knew,” while applying her unique sound and richly textured voice to Coltrane’s intricate phrasing and evocative tonalities throughout this CD, recorded at Sound on Sound NYC.
Track Listing:
1. Say It (Over and Over Again) (Frank Loesser / Jimmy McHugh) 6:03
2. You Don’t Know What Love Is (Gene DePaul / Don Raye) 5:38
3. Too Young to Go Steady (Harold Adamson / Jimmy McHugh) 5:43
4. All or Nothing at All (Arthur Altman / Jack Lawrence) 6:50
5. I Wish I Knew (Mack Gordon / Harry Warren) 4:22
6. What’s New? (Johnny Burke / Bob Haggart) 5:55
7. It’s Easy to Remember (Lorenz Hart / Richard Rodgers) 6:03
8. Nancy (With the Laughing Face) (James Van Heusen / Phil Silvers) 4:46
9. Naima (John Coltrane) 6:38
10. Why Was I Born? (Oscar Hammerstein II / Jerome Kern) 3:42
11. Ev’ry Time We Say Goodbye (Cole Porter) 6:01
Personnel:
Karrin Allyson, vocals, piano;
Bob Berg, James Carter, tenor sax;
Steve Wilson, soprano sax;
James Williams, piano;
John Patitucci, bass;
Lewis Nash, drums
Recorded November 6, 2000 – November 12, 2000
Recording Location
Kampo Audio Studios, New York, NY
Sound on Sound, New York, NY
Review:
Jazz vocalist Karrin Allyson strikes a sentimental chord with this super fine 2001 release, inspired by tenor sax titan John Coltrane’s infamous Ballads LP. The diva exhibits her near flawless phraseology and alluring vigor throughout these wonderfully executed pieces. Allyson also receives exemplary support from what some might consider an all-star band, featuring bassist John Patitucci; saxophonists Bob Berg, Steve Wilson, and James Carter; pianist/educator James Williams; and drummer Lewis Nash. All told, the musicians inject their distinct musical personas into these moving portraitures amid Allyson’s trance-like renderings of pieces such as “You Don’t Know What Love Is,” “All or Nothing at All,” and others. The singer’s wordless incantation of “Naima” bespeaks poignant imagery as Patitucci and Nash generate a grooving samba beat atop Williams’ shrewdly placed lower-register ostinato motifs and the saxophonists’ breezy lines. Basically, Ballads is a very special occurrence, one that provides yet another mark of distinction for this extremely talented artiste. Highly recommended.
Glenn Astarita (AllMusic)
