Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Siora: Vis-a-Vis
Siora: Vis-a-Vis
The set kicks off in Portugese, on "Nacoa," a smooth rhythmic flow aided by Ralph Bowen's flute, with interludes of Chapell's mellifluous scatting with added yips, hoots and chirps. She proves herself an exuberant and uninhibited vocalist. Somebody blows a whistle in there, too. And for all that, it's done with such elan that feeling of the tune remains appealingly pretty and approachable and made for dancing.
"La Habanera (excerpt from Carmen)" goes with a more manstream beat behind Dan Kleinman's organ breeze, and then a fiery tenor sax spot by guest Ralph Bowen; and "Estate," featuring Howard Levy's harmonica weaving around Chapell's rich contralto rendering of the Italian lyric.
This is a set that could have been one of those distractingly "mixed bag" CDs, with all the styles and languages involved, but Dan Kleinman's arrangements and keyboard playing holds the sound together, giving it a straight-through cohesion.
"Danca da Solidao" is a particular favorite here, spicy piano work, a bounce in its step; with a rhythm that entices the dancers up out of their chairs.
Visit Siora online at www.siorajazz.com .
Track Listing
Nacoa, La Habanera, Estate, Danca da Solidao, We Always Say Goodbye, Viva Jujuy, This Moment, Shim'u Shochnei Ohalim, Who Am I?, Un Flambeau, Jeanette Isabella, Infinite Lover
Personnel
Dan Kleinman--keyboards and backgroudn vocals; Phyllis Chapell--vocals, guitar on track 6; Steve Beskrone--bass; Jimmy Coleman, Ted thomas--drums; Rafael Cruz--percussion; Gyest Artists: Howard Levy--harmonica; Ralph Bowen--saxophone and flute; John Swana--trumpet; Negin Moshtagh--daf, tonbak; Clyde Stubblefield--drum samples
Album information
Title: Vis-a-Vis | Year Released: 2004 | Record Label: Miowan Records
About Siora
Tags
PREVIOUS / NEXT
Become a Sustaining Member
Since 1995, All About Jazz has championed jazz as an art form and supported the musicians who create it. Over three decades, it has grown into one of the world's leading jazz resources, serving hundreds of thousands of readers, musicians, presenters and industry professionals each month.
Help Build the Future of All About Jazz
Your support helps us continue building All About Jazz for the next generation—expanding our editorial coverage, preserving jazz history, developing new community features and creating better ways to discover the music and the people behind it.
Become a sustaining member for as little as $20 per year and you'll immediately enjoy an ad-free experience along with access to subscriber features and future articles for a full year.
Together, we're not simply sustaining All About Jazz—we're building its future. Thank you for being part of the journey.
