Quantcast
NEWS |   Sign In   |   I'm New Here
Return to home page





In Between Moods
Tony Foster
Go and Find
Leanne Weatherly
Shambhala
Susan Wylde
Moods
Michaela Rabitsch & Robert Pawlik Quartet
First Steps
Min Rager
This Heart of Mine
Pamela Hines








Pete McCann
Info | Enter
Gretchen Parlato
Info | Enter
Henry Threadgill
Info | Enter
Keith Jarrett
Info | Enter

It's Magic
Leila Percy & Don Doane | Invisible Music Records


By Dave Nathan
Comments        

The music played on this album is guaranteed to make you want to grab your significant other and get out on the dance floor. These kind of recordings are rarely made anymore. Veteran trombonist Don Doane leads a sextet of his contemporaries as they are joined by the delicate vocalizing of Leila Percy (called the "canary" on the personnel list). There is more than an hour of music designed to bring back memories for the older crowd and catch the ear of a younger group who yearn for music with melody. The play list is stocked with songs several of which will have listeners saying, "gee, I haven't heard that one for a long time". These oldies but goodies include "I Can't Begin to Tell You" which was the most successful recording of 1945 for Bing Crosby. Recorded with Carmen Cavallaro at the piano, the song rocketed to the top of the Billboard charts, where it remained for 6 weeks. "All I Do Is Dream of You", penned in1934 by Arthur Freed and Nacio Herb Brown, appeared in three separate films, Sadie McKee and two where Debbie Reynolds did the singing honors, Singin' in the Rain and The Affairs of Dobie Gillis. For waltzing there's "When I Lost You". If Samba is your thing, there's the Brazilian "Recado". Other nostalgic cuts include "A Tree in the Meadow" and "It's Magic".

Not all the songs are romantic, sentimental ballads. For those who like to swing, there's a rousing instrumental "Jumping with Symphony Sid", and a bouncing arrangement of Horace Silver's "Sister Sadie". The latter features some fine piano by Gerry Wright and tailgate trombone by Doane. I suspect that this is an arrangement not contemplated by Silver when he wrote this funky tune. But what Doane and group do with it works.

With Doane's Tommy Dorsey-influenced (with a touch of Jack Teagarden) trombone, Joe LaFlamme and Ralph Norris tenors from the Coleman Hawkins school, backed by the strong rhythm of Wright, Al Doane and Paul Jensen and Percy's warbling on the slow stuff, makes this a fun and entertaining album. Recommended.


Track listing: All I Do Is Dream of You*; I Can't Begin to Tell You*; Don't Blame Me*; Sister Sadie; It's Magic; Everything Happens to Me*; When I Grow too Old to Dream*; Recado; A Tree in the Meadow*; Strolling; When I Lost You*; Everytime We Say Goodbye*; Song for My Father; Say It Isn't So*; Jumping with Symphony Sid; Since Tommy's Gone*

Personnel: Leila Jane Percy - Vocals*; Don Doane - Trombone; Ralph Norris, Joe LaFlamme - Tenor Saxophone; Gerry Wright - Piano; Al Doane - Bass; Paul Jensen - Drums

Style: Straightahead/Mainstream/Bop/Hard Bop/Cool
Published: December 01, 2000


Read more reviews of It's Magic.


Be the first to post a comment on:
Leila Percy & Don Doane's It's Magic

Signup & post a comment!






More articles by Dave Nathan

Jazz Comes to New Bern
Eyes for You
Burgundy Street Blues
The Rat on My Piano
Twelve Times Romance




Recent CD Reviews
Warne Marsh and Lee Konitz - Two Not One Warne Marsh and Lee Konitz
Two Not One
Henry Darragh - Tell Her For Me Henry Darragh
Tell Her For Me
Jeb Patton - New Strides Jeb Patton
New Strides
Michaela Rae - Blues with a Backbone Michaela Rae
Blues with a Backbone
The OtherTet - The OtherTet The OtherTet
The OtherTet
George Garzone - Among Friends George Garzone
Among Friends

CD Review Search
Artist Name  
Album Title  
Record Label  
Author  
 




 
(25)




The New Five

New York Hotel
From Introducing The New Five

More | Recent | Top










.. Privacy Policy | AAJ Supports: Lens Lady All material copyright © 2009 All About Jazz and/or contributing writer/visual artist. All rights reserved. Advertise | Contact Us