Lemuel West: In Good Company - The New York Sessions

Another entrant for the "let's find some more good male jazz singers" sweepstakes comes in the person of Lemuel West, and his chances are promising. With a play list of eleven familiar tunes this maiden album gets West off in the right direction. He uses the excellent instrumental backing to his advantage by allowing it to emphasize his vocal strengths and minimize his weaknesses. Billy Pierce appears on three cuts. His plaintive Ernie Watts like tenor saxophone makes "When you Wish upon a Star" an album highlight. The producers know a good thing when they hear it, as Pierce plays the entire song before West sings a single note.

Pierce and West also come together nicely on "Will You Love Me Tomorrow?". Premier jazz pianist James Williams, who produced the album and was the driving force behind getting it made, is a rock solid accompanist throughout. On slowly played "Ain't Misbehavin'" track, West's interpretation of this Fats Waller/Andy Razaf standard reveals his leaning toward the style and delivery of the great Johnny Hartman. The way he turns a phrase, his timing, his feeling recall why Hartman was among the elite when it came to singing ballads. It's here where it's made clear who the dominant instrumentalist on the set is, and that's Chris Biesterfeldt and his guitar, Williams and Pierce notwithstanding.

Although listed as a guest artist, Biesterfeldt shows up on most cuts. He is outstanding on "Blame It on My Youth" combining with Ron Savage's drums for an assertive opening to provide a contrasting fade into West's and Williams' gentle treatment of the Oscar Levant/Edward Heyman classic. Biesterfeldt lays down blues chords as West delivers the Nat King Cole hymn "Nature Boy." West takes on a decidedly Al Hibbler tinge as he runs through "When the Lights Go down Low" with only the funky James Williams organ in support. My only complaint about this album is that Williams' piano gets somewhat flamboyant from time to time. This is evident is his longish opening and his playing behind West on "When I Fall In Love."

Lemuel West is a work in progress, of that there's no doubt. But the prognosis for an outstanding finished product is excellent indeed. Hopefully, the powers that run the record industry won't let him fall into oblivion as has been the fate of many promising singers after their maiden album.