Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Laird Jackson: Touched

Laird Jackson: Touched

By Jerry D'Souza
November 16, 2002
View read count

In an age where the newer female jazz singers tend to be little more than popsters in masquerade, Laird Jackson comes across as a pleasant surprise. Here is a singer who has the sensibilities, the attitude and the approach that do not dilute the essence of jazz.

Jackson has been on hiatus since 1994, and her debut album Quiet Flame as she was apparently in the process of maturation as a songwriter and also wanted to record songs that she really liked. The wait has certainly paid off; she comes up trumps on both counts.

Laird’s sense of style is witnessed in the many moods of her compositions. The title song is starkly effective, just her voice and an acoustic guitar making their impact. On the other end of the scale is the lilting, swaying “Take A Little Walk’, where her phrasing is key to the sparkle. The presence of a spiritual in the stunning a cappella “Yet Still” serves to underscore her versatility.

Laird includes pop songs by Stevie Wonder and Bill Withers and sings them well enough within a jazz ambit, but it is the Kurt Weill and Langston Hughes composition “Lonely House” that cements her reputation as a fine interpreter of song. Laird is a welcome addition to the spirit of jazz.

Visit www.jazzbeat.com .

Track Listing

Visions, Take a Little Walk, Toward the Sun, I want to Spend the Night, Tin Angel, Consuela Mi, Touched, Lonely House, Yet Still, You Are Near, Catch the Wind

Personnel

Laird Jackson

Laird Jackson, vocals; Aaron Graves, piano; John Benitez, bass; Damon Duewhite, drums; Marvin Sewell, guitar; Bruce Barth, piano; Nat Reeves, bass; Clarence Penn, drums; Steve Wilson, sax and flute; Scott Wednholt, trumpet; Gary Smulyan, baritone sax; Daniel Moreno, percussio; Brian Carrott, marimba; Jeff Haynes, percussion; Cecil Bridgewater, flugelhorn; Joe Ford, Alto sax

Album information

Title: Touched | Year Released: 2002 | Record Label: CAP

PREVIOUS / NEXT

Devotion
< Previous

Belo Horizonte
Next >

Support All About Jazz

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.