Customer Reviews

A Morning In Paris

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A stellar collection of standards and originals produced

by Duke Ellington for Reprise Records in early 1963, A

MORNING IN PARIS is the long-lost recording debut of the

legendary South African-born singer Sathima Bea Benjamin.

Finally found and released on the Enja label in 1997,

the album is a treasurehouse of timeless Music. Benjamin's

haunting artistry is superbly accompanied by a superb trio

of fellow South African expatriates (pianist & longtime

husband Abdullah Ibrahim, bassist Johnny Gertze and

drummer Makaya Ntshoko), ably accented by the nimble

pizzicato violin of Svend Asmussen, with the extra

bonus of having maestros Ellington and Billy Strayhorn

offering guest pianistry on two selections apiece.

Picture all this expressive might simmering the sweet

balladry of "Solitude", the serenading valentine of

"I'm Glad There Is You", and the saddened implorings

of "Your Love Has Faded", and one begins to understand

why this session has been so sought after for so

long.

Hearing this singer at any time is a cause for

jubilation. Few are able to caress each syllable with

such full heart and precise skill as Benjamin does,

and even fewer conduct this degree of mastery to a

Music which utilizes the full measure of their art,

as she steadfastly continues to do over the course

of over 40 years.

Listen to Benjamin draw out the desperate pangs of

"I Got It Bad And That Ain't Good", or bounce us

along into the wistful smiles of "I Could Write A

Book", and feel the healing force of a clarifying

voice; sharp, soft, and strong in what she summons

-and imparts- into our lives...

The circumstances to which the previous reviews refer include the fact that this long-presumed-lost recording has appeared at all. This is a reissue of the Enja release of 1997.

Most striking to me is the presence of Duke Ellington (the producer of this session, as well as a performer) and Billy Strayhorn on four of the selections; for the rest, Benjamin is accompanied by the quartet of her husband, Abdullah Ibrahim, known at that time as Dollar Brand. For Ellington, 1963 was a particularly fruitful year, especially the recordings from his European tour early in that year. His concert works were performed by European symphony orchestras and compiled as "The Symphonic Ellington"; "The Great Paris Concert" (superb); "Jazz Violin Session" (one of the Maestro's supreme achievements); as producer, a session in Paris with Bud Powell; and the sublime album with Alice Babs, "Serenade to Sweden," which, sadly, has never appeared on CD nor ever been issued in any form in the USA.

This recording is a gem. It was not originally intended to be released as a studio record. There's none of the over-orchestration that spoils so many recordings of the standards. This is an intimate, crystal-clear time capsule of what it sounded like to be in the room. Thanks to Amazon.com, it's ready for you to hear. Just have your payment method ready; you'll want to buy it right away.

Considering the circumstances regarding this recording, this is a miracle

of the jazz vocalist's art