Eve Cornelious & the Chip Crawford Trio: I Feel Like Some Jazz Today

So it was with a little apprehension that I previewed I Feel Like Some Jazz Today by a North Carolina singer named Eve Cornelious and the Chip Crawford Trio. I needn't have worried. As soon as Cornelious steps up to the microphone on the opening title cut, a rollicking original by Crawford, it's clear we're in the hands of a pro. Here's a singer who has integrated the best of the modern jazz tradition, drawing from the likely sources — Sarah, Ella, Billie — and putting them together into something wholly her own. She's equally adept at romantic ballads or fast-paced scatting. She's also blessed with a truly sensational voice, easily hitting high notes that would have most of her peers straining — check her bravura performance on Miles Davis' "Flamenco Sketches."

Pianist Crawford (he and Cornelious are husband and wife) and his group offer wonderfully sympathetic accompaniment on a set that includes several of the most challenging standards for vocalists: "Lush Life," "My Funny Valentine," and, daringly, an Ella-inspired romp on "Air Mail Special." Cornelious pulls them all off with style. Expect to hear big things from her.

Web site: http://www.evecornelious.com

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