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Nora Germain: Little Dipper
ByFor her recording Little Dipper, Germain opts for a sturdy piano trio rhythm section led by pianist Ed Kornhauser. Germain's arrangements are straight-ahead mainstream right out of the chute with the original "Swing is Fun," based on the sacred "I Got Rhythm" changes. Her tone and articulation are a beautiful throwback to when tone and articulation were valued along with improvisatory aplomb. Germain is superb on ballads: "Someone to Watch Over Me" shimmers from the beginning obbligato to the falling water coda.
Germain provides two performances of "How About You:" one vocal and one instrumental. They sit well in the programming. She sings again on a strutting "Salty Dogs," the song propelled by bassist Will Pierce and gingerly accented by drummer Ryan Shaw. By the time the brief piece reaches a breakneck 4/4, the temperature has risen markedly. Germain adds another original, "Violin is Now" to "A Flower is a Lovesome Thing" and "Thou Swell." Her big surprise is the hoedown "Tommy," demonstrating that she is not only a prim jazz flower but also a rough-and-tumble country girl. A fine recording by a fine musician.
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Accordion & Voice
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Nora Germain
CD/LP/Track Review
C. Michael Bailey
Self Produced
United States
Joe Venuti
Ray Nance
Stephane Grappelli
Michal Urbaniak
Svend Asmussen
Jean-Luc Ponty
Regina Carter
Natalie Cressman
Ed Kornhauser
Will Pierce
Ryan Shaw
Little Dipper