Sinne Eeg: We've Just Begun

Nelson Riddle said his arrangement protocol always brought into play the strengths, weaknesses and performance nuances of the singer. Pairing the vocalist with the arranged ensemble where duo becomes uno was his forte. And when a singer has the talent to mesh seamlessly into the arrangement both before and during the performance, those are the recordings that stand out from the pack. This one certainly does.

With We've Just Begun, Danish vocalist Sinne Eeg is not only accompanied and portrayed superbly, but her unique ability to leverage her vast skill set with the charts and the superb Danish Radio Big Band makes her performance and this recording a home run. This is a vocalist who swings, scats and nuances in accord with some very sophisticated and engaging writing. Her phrasings and embellishments are fluid and effortless. She's definitely done her homework on great jazz singers of the past.

Eeg covers ten selections superbly in three languages and works brilliantly in each. On the title track cooker, where she's backed by a deadly Peter Jensen chart, Eeg immediately displays swing skills. Her dramatic approach is shown on the stylishly somber "Those Ordinary Things" and a very melodramatic "Hvorfor Er Lykken Så Lundfuld." "Samba Em Comum" is anything but "common," as Eeg vocalizes in both Portuguese and English. She's dark, then joyously swinging on a varied tempoed "My Favorite Things." "Detour Ahead" seduces and "Comes Love" is an ass-shaker that channels"Jessica Rabbit" and Peggy Lee. The gospel-tinged "To a New Day" closes the session on an upbeat tone.

The varied arrangements and orchestrations from Peter Jensen, Jesper Riis and the late Roger Neumann are superb and interact brilliantly with Eeg. The soloists are A-1 and the Danish Radio Big Band swings a solid pocket throughout.

"Sine" in Latin translates as "without." Perhaps after hearing this fine effort, one could add "equal" after that.