Back in April, I posted about Duncan Lamont, a wonderful British saxophonist who was an elegant songwriter. He composed a song a day well into his 80s. A majority of them were wonderful and beautifully crafted. His best known is probably Pretty People, which is now a standard and has been recorded by dozens of vocalists. Singers Nancy Marano and Frank Holder both recorded tribute albums to Lamont. Now we can add another.
British vocalists Esther Bennett, Sarah Moule and Daniela Clynes have just released a five-song EP entitled The Songs of Duncan Lamont. The tracks were recorded a few years ago, when Lamont was still with us and played behind the singers on four of the songs.
As Esther notes, “We originally intended for this to be a full album with three tracks from each of the featured singers and the group. Sarah and I each recorded three but with the arrival of the Covid-19 virus, recording studios closed and, unfortunately, Daniela was unable to record hers."
The songs recorded are I Told You So, Pretty People, Stark Reality, There Ain't Nothin' Like the Blues and A Great Day in Harlem.
Here's the personnel on each song:
I Told You So and Stark Reality — Sarah Moule (vcl), Simon Wallace (p) and Duncan Lamont (ts). Recorded on October 17, 2017.
Pretty People and There Ain't Nothin' Like the Blues — Esther Bennett (vcls), John Crawford (p), Simon Little (b), Mark Fletcher (d) and Duncan Lamont (ts). Recorded in November 2018.
A Great Day in Harlem — Esther Bennett, Sarah Moule, Daniela Clynes (vcls), Simon Wallace (p) and Duncan Lamont Jr. (ts). Recorded in November 2019.
Oh to be in London listening to this music live. One day.
Duncan Lamont died in 2019.
JazzWax clips: Here's Sarah Moule (vcl), Simon Wallace (p) and Duncan Lamont (ts) recording Stark Reality, with an introduction by Lamont...
And here's Esther Bennett singing There Ain't Nothin' Like the Blues, with Duncan Lamont Jr. (ts), Terence Collie (p) and Paul Michael (b) at the Bulls Head in Barnes, London, last October.
British vocalists Esther Bennett, Sarah Moule and Daniela Clynes have just released a five-song EP entitled The Songs of Duncan Lamont. The tracks were recorded a few years ago, when Lamont was still with us and played behind the singers on four of the songs.
As Esther notes, “We originally intended for this to be a full album with three tracks from each of the featured singers and the group. Sarah and I each recorded three but with the arrival of the Covid-19 virus, recording studios closed and, unfortunately, Daniela was unable to record hers."
The songs recorded are I Told You So, Pretty People, Stark Reality, There Ain't Nothin' Like the Blues and A Great Day in Harlem.
Here's the personnel on each song:
I Told You So and Stark Reality — Sarah Moule (vcl), Simon Wallace (p) and Duncan Lamont (ts). Recorded on October 17, 2017.
Pretty People and There Ain't Nothin' Like the Blues — Esther Bennett (vcls), John Crawford (p), Simon Little (b), Mark Fletcher (d) and Duncan Lamont (ts). Recorded in November 2018.
A Great Day in Harlem — Esther Bennett, Sarah Moule, Daniela Clynes (vcls), Simon Wallace (p) and Duncan Lamont Jr. (ts). Recorded in November 2019.
Oh to be in London listening to this music live. One day.
Duncan Lamont died in 2019.
JazzWax clips: Here's Sarah Moule (vcl), Simon Wallace (p) and Duncan Lamont (ts) recording Stark Reality, with an introduction by Lamont...
And here's Esther Bennett singing There Ain't Nothin' Like the Blues, with Duncan Lamont Jr. (ts), Terence Collie (p) and Paul Michael (b) at the Bulls Head in Barnes, London, last October.
This story appears courtesy of JazzWax by Marc Myers.
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