Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Ashley Daneman: Beauty Indestructible

4

Ashley Daneman: Beauty Indestructible

By

View read count
Ashley Daneman: Beauty Indestructible
The most important thing that singers/educators Kate McGarry and Theo Bleckmann impart to their students is the direction to define his or her own vocal trajectory. The lesson was readily honored by Nicky Schrire on her Space and Time (Magenta Label Group, 2013). Vocalist Ashley Daneman also took that message to heart after her study with the pair and released the present and exceptional Beauty Indestructible.

Forged from a harrowing "Long Night of the Soul" (apologies to St. John of the Cross), Beauty Indestructible is a collection of nine original "spirit poems" scored and written by Daneman, existing as an intensely personal song cycle. Daneman addresses the fundamental healing power of love. Endurance and perseverance are large themes here. Daneman presents these thought elements with a fresh-scrubbed alto balanced between pure talent and education.

Daneman's choice of instrumentation is compellingly bold with the inclusion of a healthy amount of Fender Rhodes and cello. The Rhodes, rather than imparting a 1970s period patina, instead updates and softens Daneman's often painful subjects. The standout centerpiece of the disc is the thought-salad cabaret piece, "This is Somebody Else's Piano." Thematically perfect in lyrics and music, this song is infectiously tuneful. Daneman's excellent wordless vocals are precise and fun. Joined by husband and trumpeter Benje, Daneman makes this a publically intimate recording that is frank and unapologetic...and splendidly cast within the cushion of music surrounding it.

Track Listing

How You Got To Yes; He Loves Me Well; Sing Til You're Good And Live Again; This Is Somebody Else's Piano; Think On Whatever Is Lovely; Beauty Indestructible; Here Comes A Body; Where No-one's Ever Lost; The Forest's Virgin Tree.

Personnel

Ashley Daneman: vocals; Benje Daneman: trumpet; Dave Izard: piano, Fender Rhodes; Sam Weber: bass; Michael W Davis: drums; Matt Davis: guitar; Amali Premawardhana: cello (2, 8, 9).

Album information

Title: Beauty Indestructible | Year Released: 2015 | Record Label: Self Produced

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.

Near

More

Eternal Moments
Yoko Yates
From "The Hellhole"
Marshall Crenshaw
Tramonto
John Taylor

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.