Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Francine Griffin: The Song Bird

276

Francine Griffin: The Song Bird

By

View read count
Francine Griffin: The Song Bird
Delmark Records waited 45 years to release its first vocal Jazz album. The singer who persuaded them to do so is Francine Griffin, a senior citizen from Cincinnati who proves on Song Bird that Delmark’s decision has considerable merit. She’s a seasoned stylist in the manner of a Shirley Horn, Betty Carter or Alberta Hunter, bending a note or phrase here, altering a tempo there, singing ahead of, behind or on the beat, scatting when appropriate and generally having her own sweet way with a lyric. While Griffin’s well–traveled pipes have endured the usual wear and tear associated with a long career (she began singing professionally at age 18), one would never presume that from the evenness of her clear mid–range delivery (which wavers modestly only on Benny Golson’s soulful “I Remember Clifford”). Perhaps that’s because Griffin’s career was interrupted for a number of years while she raised her several children before returning, as did Hunter, at an age when many people would be looking forward to “retirement.” The material traverses a wide expanse from ballads to burners, ballads to lesser–known gems (such as “Don’t Be on the Outside,” “With a Twist of the Wrist”). Three songs (“If I Were a Bell,” “Will You Still Be Mine?,” “Anthropology”) can be described as mercurial, and Griffin fares best on the last two (she’s all over the map on “If I Were a Bell,” and one frequently doubts she’ll be able to cross the finish line along with the others; she does, but it’s close enough to require a photo). Griffin is a captivating balladeer (“You’ve Changed,” “Inside a Silent Tear,” “You Won’t Forget Me,” “Body and Soul”) and even stronger at mid–tempo (“Two Little Words,” “It’s Crazy,” “Outside,” “Twist of the Wrist,” “I Hadn’t Anyone ’Til You”). To help raise Griffin’s comfort level, Delmark has surrounded her with some of the sleekest horses in its stable — Pickens, Campbell, Whitfield, Raynor, Williams and Fludas for rhythm, Smith, Ford, McKee, Hoyle and Petersen for melody and improv. They’re first–class, but this is Griffin’s show. A Song Bird she is, and Delmark deserves applause for sharing her songs with a wider audience.

Track listing: Two Little Words; If I Were a Bell; You’ve Changed; Anthropology; Inside a Silent Tear; It’s Crazy; Don’t Be on the Outside; I Remember Clifford; Will You Still Be Mine?; It Don’t Mean a Thing; With a Twist of the Wrist; You Won’t Forget Me; I Hadn’t Anyone ’Til You; Body and Soul (66:38).

Personnel

Tracks 1, 2, 4, 5, 12

Album information

Title: The Song Bird | Year Released: 1999 | Record Label: Delmark Records

Tags

Comments


PREVIOUS / NEXT




Support All About 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 make 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.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves 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

Hold On
Mark Winkler
The Hat with the Grin and the Chuckle
Ben Thomas Tango Project
Eternal Moments
Yoko Yates

Popular

Old Home/New Home
The Brian Martin Big Band
My Ideal
Sam Dillon
Ecliptic
Shifa شفاء - Rachel Musson, Pat Thomas, Mark Sanders
Lado B Brazilian Project 2
Catina DeLuna & Otmaro Ruíz

Get more of a good thing!

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

Install All About Jazz

iOS Instructions:

To install this app, follow these steps:

All About Jazz would like to send you notifications

Notifications include timely alerts to content of interest, such as articles, reviews, new features, and more. These can be configured in Settings.