Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Rebecca Kilgore: The Rebecca Kilgore Trio, Vol. 1
Rebecca Kilgore: The Rebecca Kilgore Trio, Vol. 1
ByHow many ways can you sell a familiar song? Well, take "The Gentleman is A Dope," which is more ironic than disillusioned, and bright, even in its minor key, because Kilgore takes it slightly up from its customary tempo. This is what adventuresome musicians can do with "conventional" material from the Great American Songbook. It doesn't have to be dull. Maybe you never heard the "Because We're Kids" lyrics by one Doctor Seuss. Oh, oh. Trigger warning. They are, gasp, woke "Just because you wear a wallet near your heart, You think you're twice as smart, You know that isn't fair." Oh, yeah, sung up front in even quarter notes, just for emphasis. One's faith in Dr Seuss is restored. And Kilgore's ongoing project of rescuing interesting tunes from death by neglect is clearly validated..
Who doesn't like "There's Small Hotel," generally identified with Chet Baker? Kilgore takes it down a bit, in a very matter of fact way. This is the way a slightly whimsical and experienced woman who's lived a little would take the song. Her version does not record the enthusiasm of a first assignation. Kilgore does not sound like she's reading from anyone's script other than her own. Age sometimes matters, and not just in wine and cheese. Experience shows and it only deepens, rather than diminishes art.
"Doxy," "Cottontail," "Dear Bix," well, you'll have to hear the CD to solve the puzzle. Hint: pianist Randy Porter does have a great sense of humor. Tom Wakeling's time and sound are never obtrusive, but are always there. Swing and have fun, indeed. You will.
Track Listing
Dear Bix; Day In-Day Out; Somobody Just Like You; Run, Little Raindrop, Run; Azure-te/Azure; Talking to Myself About You; Old Soft Shoe; I Wanna Get Married; Like the Brightest Star; That Sunday That Summer; The Gentleman Is A Dope; Because We're Kids; There is a Small Hotel
Personnel
Album information
Title: The Rebecca Kilgore Trio, Vol. 1 | Year Released: 2021 | Record Label: Heavywood Records
< Previous
AljazZeera at Piazza Dei Mestieri