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Merrimack Records - MR10172 |
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Becca Duran (vocal); Jay Thomas (trumpet, flugelhorn, tenor & soprano sax); George Mitchell (B3 organ); Chas “Vineet” Davidson (guitar); Dan Marcus (trombone); Jon Wikan (drums) Recorded on March 11th & 12th, 2001 |
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JAY’S COMMENTS: For those of you unfamiliar with vocalist Becca Duran, let this CD be
an introduction. It features her singing choice standards with a cooking band.
All are straight ahead, swinging selections plus a bonus of one Brazilian
tune. The Music: Ain't Got Nothin' But the Blues: Becca does some very slick intervallic skips that made us all drop our jaws listening to the playbacks. Just One of Those Things: This is an up-tempo swinger and Becca flies along nicely at this pace. He Was Too Good to Me is a song that could have been written for Becca... When Becca sings a lyric I'm a believer. I Had the Craziest Dream: is an example of the swinging, last minute phrasing Becca can create. Notice the out chorus cooks with abandon. Going to Chicago: Becca's sound and interpretation is firmly in the blues tradition, sweet and tart. The guitar solo is a gas! Charles Davidson can definitely play the blues. The Girl from Ipanema (Moca de Ipanema) is sung in Portuguese. The changes have been altered plus there are several modulations and a vamp section added. I would like to acknowledge Eliane Elias for inspiring me to write this arrangement. If You Could See Me Now: I can really hear Becca's ear at work on this song with lots of beautiful alterations to the melody. I love it! I Wish I Knew has Becca swinging in a medium tempo groovewith rhythmic and melodic phrasing. Born to be Blue: Becca sings with some blues inspired asides from Dan Marcus' funky trombone. Everything I Love: This is a very hip, lesser-known Cole Porter tune that Becca loves to perform. The Face I Love is a tune in ¾ time. Becca floats like a butterfly over the turbulent and complex polyrhythmic drumming of Jon Wikan. How About You is a cute standard that is interesting harmonically and was taken at a nice clip. Becca hams it up a little and her phrases dance along in a very sprightly fashion. Travelin' Light is a song associated with Billy Holiday. Becca gives an ironic quality to her rendition that illuminates the lyric. Who Cares features the "Rock of Gibraltar" of this whole session, George Mitchell on Hammond B3 organ. George has been Diana Ross' accompanist for twenty years, when he is not relaxin' at home in Portland, Oregon. --- Jay Thomas --- Vocalist Becca Duran (www.beccaduran.com)
has toured and performed in the United States, Canada and Japan.
She opened the new Four Seasons Hotel in Maui and has been a popular
headliner at numerous festivals. She has made guest appearances
on five CDs and this CD is her 3rd under her name. | ||||||||
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* * * * * “If You Could See Me Now” REVIEWS By Jim Santella, Cadence Magazine - January 2002 “If you Could See Me Now” features a classy singer with
veteran chops and a storyteller’s manner. Becca Duran tells
of the time during her teenage years that Julie London heard her
sing and remarked, “You ought to be a singer.” Those words
seem to have offered more than mere encouragement, for Duran carries
the same kind of persuasive delivery through her performance. Crystal-clear
lyric interpretations and a blues singer’s expression combine
successfully with her impressive scat singing. In unison with tenor
saxophone or guitar, her scatting brings another instrument to the
session. Hammond B3 organ, guitar and drums provide a solid accompaniment.
The timbres match her fresh voice quality in mood. This is a swinging
session from a strong vocalist with stellar accompaniment. |
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