CD/LP/Track Review
Lyn Leon: Glass Lounge (2002)
Lyn Leon is a percussionist group out of Switzerland which features New York vocalist Carolyn Leonhart. On their debut CD, they offer a play list of originals composed by members of the group. Along for the ride are a couple of guest performers, the most important being Wolf Zwiauer who provides some foundation to the proceedings on bass. The most interesting percussive play things are glasses which produce a sound similar to an elongated single note coming from an organ. There's also a gurgling like sound which recalls the rippling rhythm of long ago band leader Shep Fields who got that sensation by blowing through a straw into a glass of water.
The music from this group is as smooth as jazz can be. It is melodic, seamless and very relaxed. It really makes no difference which tune from the program is being played. It all has the persistent back beat of Kaspar Rast's drums along with somber emissions from the Rhodes. Leonhart sings everything with equal intensity and deep, heartfelt emotion. She has what I call a push and pull style. Like many of the pop singers on the contemporary scene, she pushes out the one line and pulls back in with the next line, much like a human bellows. There's also the usual vocal overdubs cloning herself into a background singer. The lyrics for the tunes, all written by Leonhart, are printed in the liner notes. This album will definitely appeal to those who prefer their jazz fused with modern pop rhythms and don't really much care if the music doesn't swing.
Track Listing: Never; Stronger Than That; Would You Catch Me; 66th Street; Childish; Priquer; Marimba Lounge; The Answer; Everywhere and Nowhere; Anytime; Photo; Silver Storm
Personnel: Carolyn Leonhart - Vocals; Stephan Diethelm, Matthias Eser - Glass, Rhodes, Mallets, Percussion; Wolf Zwiauer - Bass; Kaspar Rast - Drums/Percussion
Record Label: Percords | Style: Fringes of Jazz
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