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Rachel Caswell: We're All in the Dance
ByThe rest of the program is an eclectic collection of (mostly) love songs. Sting's bossa nova "Fragile" opens with sister Sara Caswell's violin, a welcome addition on three of the tracks. After a relaxed, swinging rendition of the melody there's a violin solo and a scat solo. There is no law that a jazz singer must scat, but Caswell has an easy way with it. Stryker and Almazan trade eights for their solo section. The title tune is a lovely Will Jennings waltz: probably the farthest thing from the jazz canon in the set, but a beautiful setting for voice and violin.
Bob Dorough's "Devil May Care" is given a vertiginous reading, Caswell's dazzling fast lyrical wordplay followed by an equally spry scat solo. The rest of the band jumps in with equal aplomb for their solos. Other highlights include the Ray Charles classic "Drown In My Own Tears," a deep dive into the blues, featuring an especially strong guitar solo. Pianist Herbie Hancock's "Tell Me A Bedtime Story" (with lyrics by Tom Lellis) takes a funk direction, a showcase for Caswell's vocals and Almazan's Fender Rhodes playing.
This is a great bandand both bassist Linda May Han Oh and drummer Jonathan Blake should also be mentioned, for their energy as part of the rhythm section as well as fine solosand there is a real band feeling throughout. Caswell is the star, but she's no diva. She is much better than that: a jazz musician in the company of other jazz musicians.
Track Listing
Fragile; A Lovely Way to Spend an Evening; We're All in the Dance; Devil May Care; Two for the Road; Drown in My Own Tears; I Didn't Know What Time It Was; Tell Me a Bedtime Story; Dexterity; Reflections (Looking Back).
Personnel
Rachel Caswell
vocalsRachel Caswell: vocals; Dave Stryker: guitar; Fabian Almazan: piano & Fender Rhodes; Linda May Han Oh: bass; Johnathan Blake: drums; Sara Caswell: violin.
Album information
Title: We're All in the Dance | Year Released: 2018 | Record Label: Turtle Ridge Records