Naama Gheber Dearly Beloved

Naama Gheber
Dearly Beloved
Cellar Music Records

Israeli-born singer Naama Gheber makes her debut on a program taken from the American Songbook. The trio of Ray Gallon on piano, David Wong on bass, and Adam Kimmel on drums, back her. This trio accompanied her at a year-long residency at New York's Mezzrow Jazz Club. Vibraphonist Steve Nelson guests on five selections. Gheber fell in love with the American Songbook while studying at Tel Aviv's Center For Jazz Studies. "I immediately felt at home with standards and worked on finding my own voice within them." For this recording, she choose songs with deep personal significance. "Recording songs that I feel strongly connected to was a way to bring myself to the album."

With her perfect pitch, musical and swinging phrasing, and delivery of lyrics, Gheber's singing will charm listeners. Her lovely singing is full of warmth and wonderfully backed throughout. Opening with the Kern & Mercer composed title song, she displays a lyricism and romantic tone that is complemented by Nelson's shimmering vibes and the swing of the rhythm section as she easily negotiates the changes meter. The mix of understatement with the longing she expresses makes her rendition of "So In Love" some engrossing. Bassist Wong is an anchor here while Kimmel adeptly adds rhythmic coloring. Wong's bass sets the tempo behind her horn-like phrasing on a brief, brisk "'S Wonderful." Pianist Gallon dazzles while Kimmel takes a drum solo.

This writer is a sucker for interpretations of Buddy Johnson's classic ballad, "Since I Feel For You." Gheber's performance is outstanding as she brings out every nuance of the lyrics. Then there is a bouncy I Can't Give You Anything But Love," with Nelson taking a sparkling solo before trading fours with Kimmel. Nelson's playing adds to the dreaming opening of "You Stepped Out of a Dream." There is also the sober, melancholy of "Get Out of Town," and the coquettish playfulness of "i." On the latter tune, she interpolates, "Don't Get Around Much Anymore." Gallon, besides helping on Gheber's arrangement, plays a stunning solo.

The album closes with a mix of "Good Night My Love" with an Israeli lullaby, "Layla Tov," with Nelson elegant vibes adding color under her choice vocal. It provides a coda to a splendid debut of a jazz singer we will undoubtedly hear more of in the future.

I received my review copy from a publicist. Here Naama performs "Dearly Beloved."

Curtis Nowosad Dialetctic

 

Winnipeg-raised drummer Curtis Nowosad (now based in New York) scores with a solid recording "Dialectics" (Cellar Door). Bandmates include tenor saxophonist Jimmy Greene (who taught in University of Manitoba for awhile), Canadian pianist Will Bonness, and Canadian-based, New York expatriates, bassist Steve Kirby and trumpeter Derrick Gardner (both currently on the faulty at the University of Manitoba).

Featuring mostly Nowosad's original compositions, the album is described as neo-Hard Bop. According to Kevin Sun in the liner notes "“Neo-hard bop” retains the driving, synchronized horn line as its focal point as well as the tightly arranged format and extended soloing that we associate with stacks of 50s and 60s Blue Note records, but takes these elements even further: more hits, more vamps and interludes with bass and piano ostinato, more pyrotechnical blowing." Sun says many of these albums have little to offer other than a nostalgic sound. In contrast, Nowosad's group "has the sound of a working band that’s been steadily pursuing its own mode of collective communication."

Nowosad's arrangement provides a fresh rhythmic take on Wayne Shorter's "Speak No Evil," before Gardner explodes on trumpet, followed by Greene whose tenor solo quickly builds the intensity, and then the leader takes a crisp solo. "Empirically Speaking," based on the changes of a Duke Pearson composition, has pianist Bonness soloing strong which transitions into Greene who comes off like a Clifford Jordan or Booker Ervin. This is followed by a couple of choruses from Kirby and then one by Gardner. This is a wonderfully paced performance followed by the title track with a touch of funk in the groove.

The briskly paced “159 & St. Nick” alludes to "Sweet Georgia Brown," while "A Casual Test," is a  blues performance with strong playing by Gardner, Greene and Bonness before the horns trade fours with Nowosad. "Reconciliation," is a lovely ballad, while Nowosad provides an Afro-Cuban setting for a vibrant rendition of Thelonious Monk's “Bye-Ya,” Greene plays soprano sax on “Gleaning & Dreaming,” a fascinating waltz with shifting tempos. A fast rendition of "I Remember You," closes the CD  with strong, spirited, and fresh, playing from all.

"Dialectics" has wonderful original compositions and fresh arrangements of some well-known songs, strong ensemble interplay with plenty of musical invention by the quintet. Those wanting straight-ahead jazz in a hard bop vein will savor the music here.

I received my review copy from a publicist. Here Curtis with Jimmy Greene on sax performing
"Empirically Speaking."