Kate McGarry with Keith Ganz & Gary Versace
Released February 1, 2018
Grammy Nominee for Best Jazz VocalAlbum 2019
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/2o4FcoYiCPRlvZNYXZa5Zn?si=lVy2hj8zSAKQHuZHDdKutA
About:
The Subject Tonight Is Love is the debut album of critically acclaimed musicians and long time friends Kate McGarry, Keith Ganz and Gary Versace.
On their first crowd funded project the trio reimagines beloved standards, sets music to the words of 14th century Sufi poet Hafiz, and dives into McGarry’s catalog of heartfelt originals. The result is a fresh, cinematic approach to jazz that invites listeners to the music through new doorways. The formidable talents of these Grammy nominated musicians are in full bloom on this ambitious outing. Ganz works with various guitar’s as well as on bass (and occasionally drums!) while Versace moves fluidly between piano, electric keyboard, organ and accordion. Together they create a richly nuanced sonic canvas. McGarry’s voice rings true throughout, painting pictures that penetrate and illumine the human journey.
Track Listing:
1. Prologue: The Subject Tonight Is Love (Keith Ganz / Hafiz / Daniel Ladinsky) 1:16
2. Secret Love (Sammy Fain / Paul Francis Webster) 5:04
3. Climb Down/Whiskey You’re the Devil (Kate McGarry / Traditional) 6:46
4. Gone With the Wind (Herb Magidson / Allie Wrubel) 4:19
5. Fair Weather (Kenny Dorham / Benny Golson) 8:01
6. Playing Palhaço (Geraldo Carneiro / Egberto Gismonti / Jo Lawry) 4:46
7. Losing Strategy #4 (Kate McGarry) 3:00
8. My Funny Valentine (Lorenz Hart / Richard Rodgers) 6:23
9. Mr. Sparkle/What a Difference a Day Made (Stanley Adams / Keith Ganz / María Grever) 5:09
10. She Always Will/The River (Steve Cardenas / Keith Ganz / Kate McGarry) 7:43
11. Indian Summer (Al Dubin / Victor Herbert) 6:57
12. Epilogue: All You Need Is Love (John Lennon / Paul McCartney) 1:40
Personnel:
Kate McGarry: vocals, piano (7)
Keith Ganz: acoustic guitar, electric guitar, acoustic bass guitar
Gary Versace: piano, keyboard, organ, accordion
Obed Calvaire: drums (3)
Ron Miles: trumpet (12)
Recorded May, 2017, at Soundpure Studios, Durham, NC
Produced by Keith Ganz, Kate McGarry & Gary Versace
Executive Producers: Art Lande & Rondi Charleston
Review:
The ancient Greeks spoke of love’s many forms, codifying and distilling the
essence of every one in detailed thought and language. Each of those documented
variants rightly differs from the others, yet the keen mind can certainly
discern that all of them basically stem from the same roots: connectivity and
understanding. In something of a musical parallel, this outing presents as an
exploration, cataloguing, and summation of love in many states. While different
aspects of the topic at hand are examined within each track, all are in
agreement in their adoption of its foundational pillars.
The trio of vocalist Kate McGarry,
guitarist Keith Ganz, and
multi-instrumentalist Gary Versace is
ideally suited for these investigations of the heart, telescoping each song’s
core value(s) while also expanding on their meaning. In doing so, this
tightknit group proves that it’s as perceptive as they come. McGarry may serve
as the primary focal point, but this album remains a statement of artistic
fellowship between all three of these artists.
The title track—a recitation of a concise work
from 14th century Persian Poet Hafiz—serves as a brief scene-setter of a
prologue, but the first proper number comes in the form of “Secret
Love.” This reflection on clandestine bonding proves to be one of the
standout tracks on the album, evolving into a soul-searching statement on
finding one’s inner passion(s). Opening with hush-hush ideals before easing
into a buoyant zone featuring a joyous guitar solo from Ganz, it hits every
mark its meant to while shining a light on a few that were heretofore unseen.
McGarry follows that up by calling to her Irish ancestors on “Climb
Down,” a slow, spare, and bluesy evocation that moves through humid air.
That five-and-a-half minute work stands firmly on its own, yet it resonates on
a deeper level when it segues into an Irish folk song—”Whiskey You’re The
Devil”—with guest Obed Calvaire’s
martial snare drum calling in the distance.
Those
first three numbers make it clear that these simpatico spirits don’t deem any
single source sufficient for uncovering or expressing love’s magic and
mysteries; the material that follows, likewise, speaks to varied origins and
vantage points. “Gone With The Wind” touches on elegiac sentiments
while countering them with suggestions of sunny swing and a light-and-loose
departure, Egberto
Gismonti’s “Playing Palhaço” presents
new lyrics from Jo Lawry and
deals with love’s reality apart from its appearance, “My Funny
Valentine” is given a glistening facelift through Ganz’s reharmonization,
and McGarry’s “Losing Strategy # 4,” benefitting from Versace’s
coloristic contributions, investigates the topic of retribution and damaged
love in the most heartbreaking of tones.
This album is full of emotional ups and downs,
serving as a true reflection of life’s rollercoaster, but the ever optimistic
epilogue—a brief stroll through “All You Need Is Love” graced
by Ron Miles’ horn—closes things out
with a welcome dose of optimism. That exit is a lesson to the masses in these
troubled times about how to move forward, and this album is a gift to us all
from a trio with something real and true to express.
Dan Bilawsky (All About Jazz)
