Rachel Caswell We're All In The Dance

Rachel Caswell
We're All In The Dance
Turtle Ridge Records
 
With so many recordings issued, it is easy to miss one. As an example, there is this two-year-old album from Rachel Caswell. It is a marvelous recording with a delectable choice of songs as well as top-flight playing behind her. Guitarist Dave Stryker also produced this and wrote the arrangements (although Caswell collaborated on the arrangements for two tunes). Others in the studio band are Fabian Almazan on piano and fender Rhodes, Linda May Han Oh on bass, and Johnathan Blake on drums. Her Grammy® nominated sister, Sarah Caswell, adds violin to three of the ten songs.

From her first entrance on Sting's "Fragile," she impresses with the exquisite qualities of her silky-voiced singing, intonation, phrasing, vocal dynamics, and articulation of the lyrics. Stryker's guitar, Sarah Caswell's violin, and Caswell's fluid horn-like scatting add to her performance's weight. The songs here celebrate love and love's heartbreaks from the easy swing of "A Lovely Way To Spend the Evening" to the blues of "Drown in My Own Tears." Stryker and Almazan are superb soloists, although Blake and Oh both take crisp, short breaks on "A Lovely Way."

Caswell's gorgeous voice shines on the title song, a light waltz. This vocal is another song that her sister's violin adds to the color. Caswell dazzles on Bob Dorough's "Devil May Care," while there is an easy Latin tinge to "Two For The Road." Her nuanced phrasing on this latter number contributes to another engaging performance. Another notable performance is her scatting tour de force on Charlie Parker's "Dexterity."

 
Also heard is an outstanding rendition of Jon Hendricks' lyrics to Thelonious Monk's "Reflections (Looking Back)," with restrained, supple backing and Almazan's understated piano solo. It closes this superb vocal jazz recording.

I received my review copy from a publicist. Here is a promo video for this recording.