Jazz Views
  • Home
  • Album Reviews
  • Interviews
    • Take Five
  • Musician's Playlist
  • Articles & Features
  • Contact Us
  • Book Reviews
Return to Index
Picture
JENNY GREEN  - Caught a Touch Of Your Love

Jennygreensings JG001

Jenny Green (vcl) Bryan Corbett (tpt, flg h) Ed Jones (alt, tnr, bar) Trevor Myres (trom) Sean Hargreaves (pno) Neville Malcolm (bs) Winston Clifford (drs) with guest artists Richard Shelton (vcl) Duncan Lamont snr (ten) Jonathen Vinten (pno)

From singing into her hair brush as a child, Jenny Green has come a very long way during a career already spread over four decades. Although a firm devotee of The Great American Song Book, she is more than comfortable in all genres covering Latin, Soul, Swing and Blues to straight ahead pop. Her range and diversity has enabled her to gig in venues such as The Grand and Metropole Hotels in Brighton, close to her home town of Shoreham by Sea all the way to London jazz shrines such as The Spice Of Life, Vortex, Chelsea's Pheasantry and upstairs at Ronnie Scotts.

For this her long awaited first album she has chosen a fine set of jazz musicians from the top of the UK Jazz world and together they have produced an impressive set of performances, all with the quality of incessant swing at every chosen tempo. Essential to the success of the project has been Sean Hargreaves, who not only plays superb piano throughout but makes a telling contribution as joint producer. Things kick off with the down home and dirty "Hum Drum Blues" from the pen of Oscar Brown jr which is given the real bar room brawl treatment with the band blazing behind the vocal but stepping aside for a telling piano interlude. We are however soon into more regular territory with such evergreen classics as Vernon Duke's "Taking A Chance On Love" and Mack Gordon's considered lyric to Harry Warren's "The More I see You", both ideal for the singers silken toned offerings and also providing solo space for Bryan Corbett's flugel horn and the saxophones of multi reed man Ed Jones. "Let's Get Lost" will always be associated with Chet Baker but is just as convincing with this much lighter vocal touch, Jonathen Vinten adding to the overall ambiance as guest pianist.

"I Told You So", an original from the veteran sax man and composer Duncan Lamont snr finds tenor and voice in understated perfect and sultry harmony. Guest Richard Shelton joins the fray and shares the vocals on"Just You Just Me". Duo performances seem either to work very well or hardly at all, on this occasion both performers are fully in sinc' on Raymond Klages fine words originally written in 1929 for the film Marianne and used as a staple by Nat King Cole in the 50's. Sandy Shaw's 1965 hit "Always Something There To Remind Me" is taken well away from it's pop origination with the eight piece ensemble sounding more like a well rehearsed big band with Ed Jones opting for baritone behind the driving vocal. Richard Rogers and Lorenz Hart's wonderful ballad "This Funny World" was first performed way back in 1926 by Belle Baker. Things have come a very long way since then and so it is proved here with this tear jerking closer being the highlight of a great album with a sensitive and well paced reading of the highly thought provoking lyric.

See also: www.jennygreensings.com (where you can obtain more information and purchase the album)

Join Jenny Green at 8pm every Sunday at www.meridianfm.com for 3 hours of great jazz alongside Susie Homes, and guests on Jen and Sooz Jazz Mixup.

Reviewed by Jim Burlong

Picture