Jazz CD Reviews if this were a dream Frances Madden francesmadden.com
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After performing at Fine Music Live From Town Hall, it’s fitting we take a look at and listen to Frances Madden’s debut album, recorded in 2014. It contains 13 tracks, eight of them her own compositions. Frances Madden does all the piano and vocals, accompanied by various combinations of 11 other musicians and backing vocals, particularly Bryan Araniego (guitar), James Heazlewood-Dale (bass), Harry Day and Tim Firth (drums), Chris Gable (saxophone) and Ray Cassar (flugelhorn). Ian Cooper provides the strings for one song, Tim Wilson bass for another, with the album being recorded and mixed at James Morrison’s studios here in Sydney. This
Unexpected Greeting-Michael Griffin Quintet ABC Digital (download only) Michael Griffin- Alto Saxophone; Dane Laboyrie- Trumpet; Chris Long- Piano; Brendan Clarke- Bass; Tim Geldens- Drums
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Drive Michelle Lordi Creeper Music 8892113220127
✶✶✶✶ As a lover of melody and the musical treasures of The Great American Songbook, it is deeply satisfying to settle back in a chair and listen to what I believe is the first album by the impressive Philadelphia-based Michelle Lordi. Forget about vocal gymnastics or pop princesses masquerading as jazz singers; Lordi is the real deal, her diction flawless as she uses emotional depth and phrasing in subtly burnishing the lyrics of a song so they join the melody on centre stage. Her voice is devoid of strain with hardly any vibrato but it’s clean and 18
October 2015
fineMusic 102.5
is a lovely album from a young musician with a wonderful career ahead. Her piano work is harmonious and rhythmic, stating the tune in a delicate, uncluttered manner and expanding on it between vocals. The vocals themselves are clearly articulated and melodic. To have such a collection of original compositions on an album is uncommon in more recent years. Her songs cover a range of ideas and tempos, from the laid-back Summer’s Song and the well titled Haunting Melody to her cheerful Such a Beautiful Day. Some themes are those of a younger woman, such as Dear Mr Nick, but her tunes demonstrate musical maturity. It is not till you compare them with her interpretations of a few tried and tested standards, however, that the listener realises how developed and mature her composing is. Her interpretation of older tunes such as Ray Noble’s The Very Thought of
You and the I Love Paris/La Vie en Rose medley make them fresh and contemporary. When you combine all three of Madden’s talents, we have a terrific CD and a wonderful performer. - Jeannie McInnes
Michael Griffin is a young saxophonist based in Sydney. He was a semi-finalist in the Thelonious Monk International Saxophone Competition in 2013 in Washington USA and performs regularly with his quintet who feature on his debut album Unexpected Greeting (ABC Music download only).The album showcases the style of all-time greats Charlie Parker and Cannonball Adderley, that is, bebop. With six compositions from the saxophonist and a hearty bunch of standards the album opens at a brisk pace and doesn’t slacken with the explosive horns of Griffin and Dane Laboyrie interplaying with spunk throughout along with Chris Long’s playful piano brimming with enthusiasm all over the album. Favourite track (and it’s hard to pick just one) is the title Unexpected Greeting. This gets
much the same joyous treatment with fine interplay of horns mixed with piano, bass and drums conviviality. What a way to introduce yourself to a new and hopefully international audience via the digital revolution. On some tracks the pace is a lot slower adding the exquisite vocals of one of Australia’s finest jazz vocalist’s Briana Cowlishaw to the wellworn tunes, I Didn’t Know What Time It Was, As Time Goes By, Embraceable You and Almost Like Being In Love. Cowlishaw handles these timeless standards superbly sometimes giving them a new, unexpected yet innovative interpretation. Her voice is technically flawless as is her delivery. For lovers of bebop and nostalgia this album is a must. - Barry O’Sullivan
graceful, perfectly suited to the sophisticated elegance of this disc where the emphasis is mainly on ballads performed at slow tempos except for If I Only Had A Heart written by Harold Arlen and Yip Harburg for the legendary 1939 Judy Garland film The Wizard Of Oz. Understatement is her forte to the benefit of both the words and music. The stylistic influence of Blossom Dearie can be heard in Kurt Weill’s My Ship which contains a fine solo by tenor saxophonist Larry McKenna whose playing is another highlight. The veteran, almost a legend in Philadelphia musical circles, is a seamless improviser and exceptional balladeer as befits a former Woody Herman sideman. The pianists Tom Lawton and, on three tracks, Orrin Evans who produced the
album, are not only fine accompanists but their solos emphasise the mood set by Lordi’s inflections of the lyrics. Her version of I Fall In Love Too Easily is outstanding as is Lordi. Remember the name. - Kevin Jones