From 2015. One of the very best jazz-vocals albums I’ve had the pleasure to listen to this year, an album full of classic heartland showtune standards plucked from the Rodgers and Hammerstein songbook, Allyson, poised and elegant, backed by the empathetic trio of bassist John Patitucci and pianist Kenny Barron.
Opening with a pair of Oklahoma songs ‘Oh What A Beautiful Mornin’’ and the title track ‘Many a New Day’, South Pacific, The King and I and The Sound of Music also provide selections to fill the album out.
Barron is a swinging presence and Allyson too provides a lttle of her own piano playing by album end waltzing away on ‘Edelweiss.’
Her voice is persuasive and flexible, gentle and folk-y even on ‘Out of My Dreams’ with plenty of power at her disposal where needed and the subtlety to do justice to the lyrics of all these fine songs. A must for jazz-vocals fans.
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