PETRA VAN NUIS & DENNIS LUXION - Because We're Night People
STRING DAMPER SDR 2136
Petra van Nuis (v); Dennis Luxion (p)
Recorded Chicago, March 14, 2018
This release begins with a few chords from Monk’s ‘Round Midnight before slipping easily into the melody of Street Of Dreams. The two musicians wanted to produce a set that was both relaxed and intimate so the tempos never get much above slow and dreamy. Petra’s voice is clear and bright with just a hint of smokiness at times and it resonates very well with Dennis’s gentle piano lines. The song Night People was chosen to demonstrate again the sense of laid back swing at night when all is relaxed and calm. It will also be noted by many listeners that all of these compositions, with the exception of No Moon At All, You and the Night and The Music, are little known but quality songs that have definitely not been overdone over the years. The atmospheric but little known, The Piano Player is a good example. Petra sings it in conversational style and the piano solo is blues based and late night in style. It is likely that few people have heard You And The Night performed in slow, ballad format as it is here but it works because of the close coupled musical chemistry between vocalist and pianist. Dennis Luxion gets in a carefully constructed and inventive solo here and all at snail’s pace.
Another rare selection is Bob Dorough’s Small Day Tomorrow which is an attractive song and suits both pianist and singer very well. While My Lover Sleeps is a rarely heard piece which was frequently played by Chet Baker in his later years. It is very relaxed and warm in this version. By contrast with her slow treatment of up tempo charts, here Petra sings No Moon At All with a lively bounce and Dennis unwinds a complex and delightful original solo. Black Coffee has a similar treatment with only the pianist digging into the blues and the vocal bouncy and very unlike Peggy Lee, the singer most associated with it. Every track here is different and enjoyable and the CD is ideal for late night listening when you want to relax and forget the day you have just had.
Reviewed by Derek Ansell
STRING DAMPER SDR 2136
Petra van Nuis (v); Dennis Luxion (p)
Recorded Chicago, March 14, 2018
This release begins with a few chords from Monk’s ‘Round Midnight before slipping easily into the melody of Street Of Dreams. The two musicians wanted to produce a set that was both relaxed and intimate so the tempos never get much above slow and dreamy. Petra’s voice is clear and bright with just a hint of smokiness at times and it resonates very well with Dennis’s gentle piano lines. The song Night People was chosen to demonstrate again the sense of laid back swing at night when all is relaxed and calm. It will also be noted by many listeners that all of these compositions, with the exception of No Moon At All, You and the Night and The Music, are little known but quality songs that have definitely not been overdone over the years. The atmospheric but little known, The Piano Player is a good example. Petra sings it in conversational style and the piano solo is blues based and late night in style. It is likely that few people have heard You And The Night performed in slow, ballad format as it is here but it works because of the close coupled musical chemistry between vocalist and pianist. Dennis Luxion gets in a carefully constructed and inventive solo here and all at snail’s pace.
Another rare selection is Bob Dorough’s Small Day Tomorrow which is an attractive song and suits both pianist and singer very well. While My Lover Sleeps is a rarely heard piece which was frequently played by Chet Baker in his later years. It is very relaxed and warm in this version. By contrast with her slow treatment of up tempo charts, here Petra sings No Moon At All with a lively bounce and Dennis unwinds a complex and delightful original solo. Black Coffee has a similar treatment with only the pianist digging into the blues and the vocal bouncy and very unlike Peggy Lee, the singer most associated with it. Every track here is different and enjoyable and the CD is ideal for late night listening when you want to relax and forget the day you have just had.
Reviewed by Derek Ansell
