Bevan Manson featuring Tierney Sutton with The Hollywood Studio Orchestra: Talking to Trees

Bevan Manson is an artist who has a creative duality. As a pianist, composer/arranger and educator, he's been successful in classical and jazz environments. With Talking to Trees, Manson provides an array of both originals and jazz standards, most with an arboreal tint, as the title indicates. The work is a validation that his pen, guiding the talents of vocalist Tierney Sutton and L.A.'s premium players, can make the familiar fascinating and the novel intriguing.

Miles Davis' "All Blues" presents a soundscape—something consistent throughout the session—that is painted by melismatic voice, strings, and winds. It moves into the main melody in its triple-metered format with Sutton's voice and ensemble. The voice-over rhythm and strings is a fairy's scat and dance. A dark Ed Neumeister muted plunger solo adds a sardonic touch before closing. Tierney Sutton opens "Banyan Tree/Take the "A" Train" before spoken word and the woodwinds harmonically complex playing preface her up- tempo take on the standard which, with reharmonized and contrapuntal lines and Jeff Driskill's flute solo over Bernie Dresel's drive. Percussion clicks and clacks under a violin solo. "Willow Weep for Me" has Sutton stating the balladic lines over a woodwind choir and Manson's keys. Both he and Luca Alemanno add solos. "Redwood," is a light bossa nova feel with strings with added harp and trumpet before evolving into a lilting, light-textured groove in which Gordon Au trumpets a brief solo.

There have been many recordings that attempt to combine classical textures and/or instrumentation with jazz. Certain works of Duke Ellington, Gunther Schuller and David Amram, for example. Sometimes, in lesser-qualified hands, the novelty lacks substantive honesty as one genre mimes the other. It is a high-wire act, at best. At worst, it can become comedic and a toss-away. Here, Manson's use of strings, harp, and an abundance of various woodwind doublings, especially those in a more complex harmonic approach, keeps things in equilibrium. Sutton's voice, with all of its subtleties and dynamic inflection is a perfect fit for Manson's more embellished presentations. Her lyric interpretation blends well with what surrounds her harmonically.

Mixed winds preface Katherine Liner singing on "Sleepin' Bee" slowly and with a theatrical bent. Added woodwinds and Joe Locke's vibes give the effort an Impressionistic texture. "Mr. PC," from John Coltrane for Paul Chambers, has strings sawing away before things go into a Latin undertow. Rick Todd and Ira Nepus offer solos. This is a highlight track. Sutton's voice offers "SprigSpring" blooming into a vocal trio with Mandy Kahn and Bevan Manson joining. Images of windblown trees and their avian content swirl about. The late Mike Lang joins Manson's keyboards. Luca Alemanno spins a ride while Joe La Barbera's drum support. The selection moves from a slower tempo to a prestissimo. "SprigSpring" is a 13-minute concerto centerpiece with Prokofiev-like imagery. It is a provocative, imaginative track. Its subsequent epilogue, a slow painting, features clarinets and bassoon singing along with Manson's piano and a trio of voices building to a climactic end.

Talking to Trees is an expansive concept. It is intellectual yet engaging and eccentric. Its theatrical approach and complex harmonies and lyrics may either tickle, irritate, or fascinate. Whatever one's individual reaction, the effort is a large offering of texture and talent.

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