Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Beat Kaestli: Invitation

198

Beat Kaestli: Invitation

By

View read count
Track review of "I've Got You Under My Skin"

Beat Kaestli: Invitation
First, there is the name: Beat Kaestli. How hip is that? A native of Switzerland, Kaestli moved to New York, where he was suitably educated in the craft of jazz at the Manhattan School of Music, and ultimately, the Aaron Copland School of Music.

Kaestli has a voice of uncommon sweetness and delicacy that is, atthe same time, durable and trustworthy. He sings as Chet Baker would have, had he had a soul inhabiting that desiccated shell of his. Like the best speakers and narrators, Kaestli possesses a unique voice, seasoned with a slight imperfection, an inter-dental lisp that adds depth and sincerity to his singing.

Kaestli's Invitation is an excellent collection of well-worn standards, presented in such a way as to make them fresh and new. Kaestli forfeits the piano for Paul Meyers' nylon string guitar. The arrangements are spare, with plenty of space allowed for Kaestli's impressive instrument. "I've Got You Under My Skin" is unusual for its eight-minute length, long for a vocal track. Meyers' light Latin playing, coupled with Jay Leonhart's exacting bass playing (he has no peer in playing bass behind vocalists) gives this Frank Sinatra staple a dreamy quality, accentuated by Joel Frahm's dry and vibrato-less tenor. It essentially becomes a modern ballad, rendered very dry, hold the vermouth, shaken not stirred.

Track Listing

Day In Day Out; It Could Happen To You; Invitation; My Foolish Heart; The Island; My Romance; The Nearness Of You; Moonlight In Vermont; I've Got You Under My Skin.

Personnel

Beat Kaestli: vocals; Billy Drummond: drums; Jay Leonhart: bass; Paul Meyers: guitar; Joel Frahm: saxophone; Kenny Rampton: trumpet.

Album information

Title: Invitation | Year Released: 2010 | Record Label: Chesky Records

Tags

Comments


PREVIOUS / NEXT




Support All About Jazz

Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

More

Tramonto
John Taylor
Ki
Natsuki Tamura / Satoko Fujii
Duality Pt: 02
Dom Franks' Strayhorn
The Sound of Raspberry
Tatsuya Yoshida / Martín Escalante

Popular

Old Home/New Home
The Brian Martin Big Band
My Ideal
Sam Dillon
Ecliptic
Shifa شفاء - Rachel Musson, Pat Thomas, Mark Sanders
Lado B Brazilian Project 2
Catina DeLuna & Otmaro Ruíz

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.

Install All About Jazz

iOS Instructions:

To install this app, follow these steps:

All About Jazz would like to send you notifications

Notifications include timely alerts to content of interest, such as articles, reviews, new features, and more. These can be configured in Settings.