Melissa Stylianou No Regrets

Melissa Stylianou
No Regrets
Anzic Records

Canadian born and New York based vocalist Melissa Stylianou has a new recording (her 5th album) on Anzic Records “No Regrets.” Produced by Oded Lev-Ari, Stylianou is backed by a trio of Bruce Barth on piano, Linda Oh on bass and Matt Wilson on drums with appearances by Billy Drewes on alto saxophone on two songs and Anat Cohen on clarinet on two songs. The album was recorded live to two-track on an album that mostly sticks to jazz standards.

There is plenty to delight in Melissa Stylianou’s singing and here she is backed by a superb trio augmented by sax or clarinet at times. Her rendition of the Gershwins’ “Nice Work If You Can Get It” features an introduction that this writer was not familiar with. After her delivery of the lyric, each member of the trio takes a brief break and there is a couple of brief exchanges between her and Wilson. Not all of theses selections are as well known such as “Remind Me” by Jerome Kern and Dorothy Fields with her perky delivery of the amusing word play here (“Remind me not to mention that I love you, Remind me I am sorry that we are met) with Barth supplying the arrangement.

Drewes’ alto opens a marvelous rendition of the Ellington-Webster lament “"I Got It Bad (and That Ain't Good)" ,” and Melissa is playful on “Humming to Myself.” Linda Oh’s bass opens “I Wish I Knew” and duets with Melissa until mid-way through the first verse. A Billie Holiday song, “Somebody’s On My Mind” is one of the selections with Cohen with just Oh’s bass providing apt support for Stylianou’s languid vocal. Known for her adaptations of songs by Bjork, Johnny Cash and Tom Waits among others, her one unusual selection is a folky adaptation of William Butler Yeats’ poem “Down by the Salley Gardens” accompanied just by Wilson.

Her lovely voice, phrasing and dynamics are factors that enchant the listener. Gutbucket alto sax against the firm backing of the rhythm section spices up "A Nightingale Can Sing the Blues.” Cohen returns with more lovely playing on “"I'll Never Be the Same.” There is a lilting quality to the rendition “Polka Dots And Moonbeams” (with a choice Barth solo), before the album concludes with a bright, delightful rendition, backed just by piano, of Jon Hendricks’ lyrics to Monk’s “I Mean You,” with her scatting and trading fours with Barth.

Melissa Stylianou touches the heart and brightens our spirits throughout “No Regrets.” It is a recording with plenty to charm listeners.

I received my review copy from a publicist. This review originally appeared in the May-June 2015  Jazz & Blues Report (Issue 360) although a few revisions and corrections have been made.Here she sings "I Got It Bad (and That Ain't Good."

 

Bruce Barth Trio's Live At Smalls' Piano Jazz

Among newer releases on Smalls Live in its Live at Smalls series is one by the Bruce Barth Trio. Pianist Barth is accompanied by the bass of Vincente Archer and drummer Rudy Royston on location recordings from the Greenwich Village club that captured a late September 2010 performance. I am most familiar with Barth from his work on Terrell Stafford’s excellent celebration of the music of Billy Strayhorn, This Side of Strayhorn, (MaxJazz), but this is first album under his name I have heard. He has a pretty extensive resume including a stint with Terence Blanchard and a number of prior recordings as a leader.

With the exception of a rendition of Good Morning Heartache, the trio performs Barth's original compositions. The opening “Oh Yes I Will is not typical of several performances in that it opens in a pensive, impressionistic manner before Barth’s playing builds heat while Royston pushing things along and Archer provides a steady anchor. Sunday opens somewhat in a similar fashion as it develops in a similar fashion before the arpeggios are contrasted with block chords before it closes more pensively. There is a lovely ballad Yama and the lovely version of Good Morning Heartache, finds Barth playing with great restraint and in a spare fashion while Royston provides understated percussive support.

This listener’s favorite track might be Almost Blues. This is a terrific, spirited hard bop blues with a Monkish tinge with some driving playing with Royston’s rhythmic accents pushing it along before he solos and then trades fours with Barth. Archer gets to solo on Peaceful Place and the spirited Wilsonian Alto which has a bit of latin spice in the performance. Afternoon in LLeida, is a lovely performance mixing in Barth’s manner of setting a mood while providing contrast with some bluesy passages.

As usual with SmallsLive recordings, this is handsomely produced and the sound is quite fine. Barth’s crisp, yet feathery touch is complemented by his sideman for a thoughtful and lively recording. I will be checking out some of his past catalog. Its available from SmallsLive directly or other vendors. 

I purchased this CD.  Here is Bruce Barth performing Wilsonian Alto from 1 2004 performance with a different trio.

Jerry Bergonzi's "Simply Put" Is Terrific

Saxophonist Jerry Bergonzi is not a household name in the jazz world but listening to his new Savant release, “Simply Put,” leads one to suspect that the fact he is based in Boston, where he teaches at the New England Conservatory, is the primary reason he is under the radar among the general jazz audience when folks talk about great saxophonists of today.

His peers, such as Bradford Marsalis, marvel at his playing. The liner booklet mentions Marsalis’ admiration of his the mastery and personal distillation of the tonal personalities of Shorter and Coltrane. He plays often around Boston and also tours Europe several times a year. He did spend a stint with “Two Generations of Brubeck,” which included Dave and his sons and later with the Dave Brubeck Quartet. His band on this recording (his 4th for Savant) consists of pianist Bruce Barth, bassist Dave Santoro and the Paris-based Italian drummer, Andrea Michelutti.

The selections include seven Bergonzi compositions and three very personal interpretations of standards. With the band evoking the classic Coltrane Quartet, Bergonzi displays his deep, fat tone on the opening “MB,” a tribute to his late friend, Michael Brecker, with the band swirling behind his strong playing. “Dancing in the Dark,” is a swinging interpretation of a song from an old Fred Astaire movie and illustrates his attention to the song and the underlying lyrics. “Casadiche,” is how his Italian-American parents used to pronounce the TV cowboy, Hopalong Cassidy, which moves back and forth (the notes talk about the Mingusian ambiance) from a plaintive ballad to an angular double-time refrain.

“Come Fly With Me,” is a lively romp through a song most associated with Frank Sinatra. “Crossing the Naeff” focuses on the interplay between Bergonzi and pianist Barth, while there is a tangoesque feeling imparted to his reharmonized rendition of “Out of Nowhere,” a favorite of jazz players since the bop era, while his unique minor blues “Transphybian,” sports a nice Tyner-esque solo from Barth. The concluding “Malaga,” named after the Andulusian Port City finds him navigating the soprano sax (displaying more of Shorter than Coltrane here) on an unusual 11/4 time signature.

After listening to “Simply Put,” one realizes that Jerry Bergonzi is a superior, passionate and thoughtful musician and composer. Leading a terrific band, he deserves a wider audience commensurate with the high level of his music.


This was originally reviewed for the December 2009 issue of Jazz & Blues Report (Issue 322) and I have made some minor changes. Savant Records sent the review copy to Jazz & Blues Report who sent it to me.