Customer Reviews

Dearest Duke

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Five MARVELOUS Stars!! Legendary jazz singer Carol Sloane's unique, lovely voice is instantly identifiable and on her latest CD she gives a marvelous singing seminar that has familiar and seldom-heard classics by Duke Ellington & Billy Strayhorn as the focus. Confidently carrying the entire CD, Ms Sloane is in wonderful company backed by an unconventional but totally satisfying duo. The great Ken Peplowski is on clarinet and a 'killer' Hawkins/Webster-influenced tenor sax and the superb Brad Hatfield is on piano. No bass and drum necessary here for these three. If you've never heard Carol, this would be a nice place to meet her precise phrasing, flawless swing, and controlled dynamics, as she and her friends mix up the music and solos to make it fresh.

The 'Pieces De Resistance, the best of the best, begin with Carol casting her spell over "Sophisticated Lady", digging out new meaning from the lyrics as well: The "I see you cry" phrase is poignant. "Mood Indigo" is a breathing, phrasing, and vibrato lesson in itself: just a marvelous performance! Peplowski and Hatfield turn in sterling solos here and elsewhere that further illuminate the music. Peplowski gives a wild clarinet intro to "Rocks In My Bed". My favorite by Carol is "I Didn't Know About You" which is a timeless classic that deserves more attention from the younger crowd of singers. Peplowski and Hatfield give us a scintillating instrumental version of "Serenade to Sweden". A jumping "Just A'Sittin' and A'Rockin' " connects with a loping "All Too Soon" as Carol delivers big again, making the lyrics sound new. Something about how she makes the listener concentrate on her voice, phrasing, and the song's message. Carol and Ken harmonize vocally on a warm, humorous closeout version of "Just Squeeze Me". A huge performance by Carol Sloane, a singer's singer, and her friends that should not be missed. Using Duke's favorite phrase, "Love you madly", Carol. My Highest Recommendation. Five AMAZING Stars.

(This review is based on an iTunes download.)

Picture this: a piano bar in an upscale dinner club, anywhere, U.S.A. The pianist has been going at it for awhile. The patrons have gotten pleasantly sloshed, and have called out ad nauseum for "Misty," "Feelings," and other such fare.

Suddenly, in walks this singer to join up with the piano player. This singer has a face with so many lines that it can forecast the weather better than the National Weather Service. Her voice sounds like she's blowing rings from the second-hand smoke around her. And in walks a guy with some reeds (a clarinet and a tenor sax), to jam with these two. And they all decide: call is over. It's time to get serious.

And they segue into nothing but Duke Ellington. The greatest jazzman ever, so why ever not? How do they play Sir Duke without bass and drums? Eh, who cares? These guys are musicians. Play with the melody. Play with the rhythm. They don't need no stinkin' bass and drums, anyway.

And as the set goes on, they just get better and better. The improvisation gets freer. That barrelhouse, boogie-woogie accompaniment sounds more and more appropriate. The singer gets more and more ahead of the beat, or behind the beat, or whatever. The object, after all, is to tell a story. A lot of stories. Is it the alcohol, or is it that these guys are actually really, really good?

Having now set the stage, I must say, it's the latter.

This c.d. reminds me of the best of the late, great Shirley Horn. Not the greatest voice in the world, but a nonpareil story-teller. And so is Carol Sloane.

This is a valentine to Duke Ellington, ostensibly; but really, it's a valentine to jazz itself. This is why jazz artists do this. This is why they create. It's not about the money; it's about the art.

I love this c.d., and what it stands for. And if you're one of the few who happens to read this review, I'll wager that you will as well. RC

This is an exquisite album. Carol Sloane's voice is deep and warm, smoky and mature, with a tone and style reminiscent of Rosemary Clooney. Brad Hatfield's lovely, sophisticated piano complements her perfectly.

I confess that, even though I'm up to my gills in CDs, I really was never familiar with the work of this artist. In fact, I was probably confusing her with Sylvia Sims for the past several decades. She and Sylvia, along with a primary influence on both of them (Old Blue), may share the same initial last-name sibilant, but otherwise their styles, musical temperaments, vocal quality and elocution are worlds apart. Normally, female singers who remain in the lower register tend to lose the listener's interest--due to the sameness of the pitches as well as a lack of "tension" that, while implying risk and the possibility of a bobble or two, is often crucial to keeping the listener rapt for the duration. Moreover, Carole makes projection, or delivery, seem completely secondary to narrating, or rather "whispering," the verbal pitches of her story. Perhaps her musical meditations are of themselves so unique--is this truly a vocal much less a jazz "performance"?--that we can't help but attend to every word as a language quite unlike anything we've ever heard before. (Helen Merrill comes to mind, though she might seem intrusive by comparison.)

But she makes it work whereas other singers who try the same approach are likely to exert a soporific effect. How does she do it? Much of it has to be attributed to the singer's persona and her confidence in it. Everything becomes a matter of scale--the other musicians simply have to bring their contributions down to her quiet, intimate, unforced level of intensity. And there is intensity in her elocution, which comes across more like the last words being spoken at the Last Supper than a blase secret shared over tea. It also comes from the vocal apparatus itself--her tones seem to emanate from a deep internal "chamber" to which we the listeners are the highly privileged invited guests. There's no head tone, no nasal sound--the source comes from a deep secret place--and perish the musician who would be so tasteless as to obtrude upon our entrance to it.

The veteran Ken Peplowski, usually as light and graceful as they come, is even more so here. The pianist, Fred Hatfield, falls into line with these two, occasionally evoking the late, great Dave McKenna with some of his walking bass lines (played during his own solo, not Carole's). You won't read here the tired old injunction about lighting the fireplace and pouring yourself a Scotch (who has time for that any more?). Better to close all the doors, turn off the telephone ringer, jam the earphones deeply into the canals--and give the recording your undivided attention. There's much to be learned when a mere three musicians of this order convene to express their deep and abiding affection, in understated but no uncertain terms, for America's most enduring musical treasure.

Carol Sloane's newest recording, Dearest Duke, honors some of the finest songs written and/or co-written by Duke Ellington. Carol's jazz combo is at its peak on this work. Carol has her unique style of interpreting songs, particularly jazz classics. The haunting music backing up Carol on this recording comes from musicians who have to be finely attuned to the late Duke's inner emotions when he composed these songs. It is so wonderful to see a jazz singer who has managed to continue in this field for years without inhibitions or interruptions. Carol is one of the finest jazz interpreters of the Great American Songbook. I would recommend this CD for everyone. You can't get any better than this.