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Susannah McCorkle: From Broken Hearts To Blue Skies

By Jim Santella
May 1, 1999
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Susannah McCorkle: From Broken Hearts To Blue Skies

From a moody "laugh all your sorrows away" with its late night lounge setup, to "never saw things goin’ so right" with its energetic trumpet and alto saxophone interludes, Susannah McCorkle has put together another eclectic session from the American popular songbook. This is her seventeenth album, following From Broadway To Bebop and From Bessie To Brazil. A graduate of the University of California at Berkeley with a degree in Italian literature, McCorkle studied languages in Mexico, France, Germany, and Italy. In a fortunate twist of fate, the artist forwent a career interpreting for the Common Market in Brussels and decided instead to devote her life to interpreting the classic American popular song. More background information about Susannah McCorkle may be found at http://susannahmccorkle.home.mindspring.com/bioSM.html and a look behind the scenes of this recording may be found at http://aent.com/concord/bios/mccorklebio.html .

"Look for the Silver Lining" contains McCorkle’s vocalese lyrics to Chet Baker’s trumpet solo. The whimsical and lightly swinging "I Want to be a Sideman" is from the prolific pen of Dave Frishberg. McCorkle sings the fascinating lines expressively, happy, and gay. McCorkle sings Django Reinhardt’s "Nuages" in French and English, accompanied by Al Gafa’s acoustic guitar. Three Jobim classics are offered in Portuguese with several English translations blended in. The ease and exotic flair with which McCorkle weaves in and out of several languages stands apart as her main strength. Gafa’s Guitar, Dick Oatts’ tenor saxophone, and Allen Farnham’s piano lend soulful emotion to the Ray Charles tribute, "Losing Hand." However, the singer is not convincing in her delivery of this slow mesmerizing tune. McCorkle’s pleasant alto voice, clear articulation, and multi-language charm, nevertheless, offer a fine tribute, as she interprets the classic American popular song.

Track Listing

Laughing at Life; Something to Live For; Look for the Silver Lining; Nuages; Caminhos Cruzados (Crossed Paths); I Wish I Were in Love Again; I Ain

Personnel

Susannah McCorkle

vocals

Susannah McCorkle- vocal; Allen Farnham- piano; Al Gafa- guitars; Steve Gilmore- acoustic bass; Rich DeRosa- drums; Dick Oatts- tenor sax, soprano sax, alto flute; Jon Gordon- alto sax, flute; Greg Gisbert- trumpet, flugelhorn; John Fedchock- trombone.

Album information

Title: From Broken Hearts To Blue Skies | Year Released: 1999 | Record Label: Concord Music Group

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About Susannah McCorkle

Instrument: Vocals

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