Ladies at the mic for diversly swinging moods…
Marty Elkins teams up with Jon-Erik Kellso/tp, James Chirillo/g,Joel Diamond/p-org-as, Steve Ash/p, Lee Hudson/b, Taro Okamoto/dr and Leopoldo Fleming/perc for a collection of vintage sounds and songs. Her voice is clear and classy, able to sound world weary on “Trav’lin All Alone” and reflective like an old courtesan during “My Old Flame.” Hudson’s hip bass leads into Kellso’s muted horn on an easy swinger “ You Turned the Tables on Me” while the latter growls to the B3 on a gospel grooved “On Revival Day.” And a peppy “It’s Too Hot For Words.” Elkins is cozy on “It’s a Pity to Say Goodbye” and can rollick like she’s on Bourbon Street for a two stepping title track. Street smart and stylish.
Anita Aysola mixes moods between Norah Jones indie jazz with dashes of South Asian harmonies on this attractive ep. She sings in both English and Hindi while playing a nightclubish piano with John Clark/g, Samee Gupta/dr-tab, Konrad Payne-Rashaan Carter-Shane Allessio/b for folksy moods such as “ America” and a bluesy “Bet On Us,” while Indian moods added by Jay Gandhi’s banuri and and Arun Ramsamurthy’s violin team with Aysola’s nasal chants for a hip “Beyond Our Dreams” and a dream “Long Way Home.” Excellent melding of flavors and spices.
NYC-based vocalist Susan Hodgdon gives us a hint of her shows on this album that is a tribute to the Cole Porter songbook. She teams her comfy voice with Daryl Kojak/p, Steven Frieder/ts, Sean Conly/b and Dwayne Cook Broadnax/dr for seventeen selections, some of which give surprises. She slows down “It’s All Right With Me” and comes of resigned, while giving a fun rumba with Frieder’s tenor for “Why Can’t You Behave.” The team flows easily with deliberation on “In the Still of the Night” and gets jazzy on a peppy take of “You’d Be So Nice to Come Home To.” She sings with a twinkle in her eye.