Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Rene Marie: Live At the Jazz Standard

Rene Marie: Live At the Jazz Standard

By C. Michael Bailey
April 9, 2003
Sign in to view read count

The biggest surprise perhaps on Rene Marie’s inaugural live recording is the conspicuous absence of her controversial reading of Billie Holiday’s "Strange Fruit" and the traditional "Dixie" in medley from her last MAXJAZZ recording Vertigo (MXJ114, 2001). To Marie’s credit, she does cover her previously covered "How Can I Keep From Singing" (the title of her initial MAXJAZZ release). Stunning in this release is Ms. Marie’s beautiful coupling of Ravel’s "Bolero" and Leonard Cohen’s "Suzanne." This daring association alone (the "Dixie/Strange Fruit" union not withstanding) qualifies Marie as a front-line jazz singer.

In a word, Live at the Jazz Standard simply rocks because of such courage. These are the most basic jazz vocals, backed by the traditional acoustic piano trio, except where she opts for a duet with John Toomey on Gershwin’s "I Loves You Porgy" and a cappella on "How Can I Keep From Singing." Marie fears nothing and supplies a live recording that eclipses the considerable Live At the Village Vanguard, previously released on MAXJAZZ by the formidable Mary Stallings.

Marie’s trio is superb. John Toomey is well-known in New York City and beyond as a fine accompanist and soloist, as are both Elias Bailey and Howard Curtis in their respective fields. Marie and Bruce Barth produce a near masterpiece in Live at the Jazz Standard. Rene Marie raises the bar for her labelmates and, indeed, all jazz vocalists.

Visit MAXJAZZ .

Personnel

Rene Marie

vocals

Rene Marie-Vocals, Arrangement; John Toomey-Piano; Elias Bailey-Bass; T. Howard Curtis.

Album information

Title: Live At the Jazz Standard | Year Released: 2003 | Record Label: MA Recordings

< Previous
Eric Dolphy: The Complete Prestige Re...

Next >
Symbiosis

Comments

About Rene Marie

Instrument: Vocals

Concerts

Apr 19 Fri

René Marie & Experiment In Truth – Jump...

Charleston Music Hall
Charleston, SC

Apr 26 Fri

Rene Marie

Downing-gross Cultural Arts Center
Newport News, VA

Jul 18 Thu

René Marie & Experiment In Truth | Jump In The...

Caramoor Center For Music And The Arts
Katonah, NY

For the Love of Jazz

All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who create 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.

You Can Help

To expand our coverage even further and develop new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for a modest $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination will vastly improve 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.