Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Dena DeRose: I Can See Clearly Now

184

Dena DeRose: I Can See Clearly Now

By

View read count
Dena DeRose: I Can See Clearly Now
Dena DeRose’s third CD for Sharp Nine boasts some uncommonly clever arrangements. The biggest surprise is "Detour Ahead," which gets a double-time treatment. Dwayne Burno plays electric bass, Matt Wilson funks it up with a syncopated snare drum rhythm, and Joe Locke weighs in with an adroit vibes solo. On the second A section, when DeRose sings the lyrics "Wake up, slow down," the band does just that — it slows down, as if someone flipped the switch from 45 to 33 RPM. Then, like a rubber band, it snaps back to the original tempo in the space of two or three bars. A little campy? Yes, but it illustrates the group's superb cohesion and grabs the listener’s attention for sure. (Matt Wilson’s idea?) Another highlight is the title track, a 1972 hit single by Johnny Nash that DeRose and crew work over with moody reharmonizations and a slow, magical pulse. Saxophonist Joel Frahm and trumpeter Jim Rotondi add depth and color while Locke fills in the spaces.

When DeRose approaches a standard, it’s either with old-school fidelity ("Day In, Day Out," "The Touch of Your Lips") or a hip, modern edge ("Alone Together"). Her closing vocal/vibes duo with Joe Locke on "What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life" is a treat, and her choice of Edith Piaf’s "If You Love Me" is off the beaten track. On piano DeRose displays refined skills as a rhythm section member and has an engaging, understated solo style. "I’ve Never Been in Love Before" and "The Touch of Your Lips" both find DeRose scatting along with her piano lines. Of course, lots of players mumble along with what they’re playing, but this is the sound of a real vocalist improvising, and the effect is very pretty, not to mention totally distinctive.

Track Listing

If I Should Lose You; Detour Ahead; I've Never Been In Love Before; I Can See Clearly Now; With a Smile; Day In Day Out; If You Love Me; Touch of Your Lips; Alone Together; What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?

Personnel

Dena DeRose
piano and vocals

Dena DeRose--piano/vocals; Joe Locke--vibes (2,4,5,10); Joel Frahm--tenor saxophone (4,6),soprano saxophone (5); Jim Rotondi--trumpet (4,9); Dwayne Burno--bass, electric bass; Mark Taylor--drums (6,8); Matt Wilson--drums (except 6,8).

Album information

Title: I Can See Clearly Now | Year Released: 2000 | Record Label: Sharp Nine 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

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.