Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Kate Reid: The Heart Already Knows

Kate Reid: The Heart Already Knows

By

Sign in to view read count
Kate Reid: The Heart Already Knows
There's a special sort of intimacy achieved when a singer performs with the accompaniment of only one instrument. On this CD Kate Reid explores that in a big way, recording duets with two different pianists and three different guitarists.

Reid has an appealingly husky alto voice with a casual coziness that adapts nicely to the styles of her various duet partners. Guitarist Paul Meyers makes a sensitive foil for her on Billy Strayhorn's "Something To Live For" and brings a jaunty swagger to Duke Ellington's "Lucky So And So." Larry Koonse breezily glides through "Confessin'" as Reid shows off her silken scatting ability. Then on Joni Mitchell's "Two Grey Rooms" he provides a dreamy, folk-inflected mesh of acoustic and electric guitars under a vocal performance that highlights the similarities of Reid's voice to Mitchell's mature sound of the 70's. Romero Lubambo brings a dramatic edge to the set with his intricate samba rhythms on Fred Hersch's "Stars" and thick, tender chords on Ivan Lins' "Minds Of Their Own" which enhance the sensual glow of Reid's singing.

Elsewhere Reid is accompanied by one of two excellent pianists. Taylor Eigsti fills in a lush backdrop on the subtle torch song, "Busy Being Blue" and injects some drama into the homey philosophy of James Taylor's "Secret Of Life." Then there is Fred Hersch himself who displays his talents three different ways on his tracks. He is as icy and minimal as Ran Blake on "No More," does compact, subtle swinging on an up-tempo "If I Should Lose You" and plays elegant, drawling stride piano on "Lazin' Around With You."

For all the fine work the guitarists and pianists do, the center of the session is Kate Reid. Her voice is a deep, sensual instrument full of easy charm and grace, never seeming to stretch for notes. Her voice is intoxicating in this close setting. She makes a lot of wonderful music with her five partners and produces an exceptional work of vocal jazz.

Track Listing

Something To Live For; Confessin'; No More; Two Grey Rooms; Stars; Busy Being Blue; Just A Lucky So And So; Secret Of Life; If I Should Lose You; Minds Of Their Own; Lazin' Around With You.

Personnel

Kate Reid: vocal; Taylor Eigsti: piano (6,8); Fred Hersch: piano (3,9,11); Larry Koonse: guitar (2,4); Romero Lubambo: guitar (5,10); Paul Meyers: guitar (1,7).

Album information

Title: The Heart Already Knows | Year Released: 2018 | Record Label: Self Produced

Comments

Tags


For the Love of Jazz
Get the Jazz Near You newsletter 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.

More

Sensual
Rachel Z
Over and Over
Tony Monaco Trio
Love Is Passing Thru
Roberto Magris

Popular

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.