POLLY GIBBONS - Is It Me...?
Resonance Records RCD - 1025
Polly Gibbons - vocals; Tamir Henderson - piano; James Pearson - piano; Shedrick Mitchell - hammond organ; Graham Dechter - guitar; Kevin Axt - bass; Ray Brinker - drums; Willie Murillo - trumpet; Vinny Dawson - trumpet; Bob McChesney - trombone; Andy Martin - trombone; Bob Shepherd - reeds; Brain Scanlon - reeds; Keith Bishop - reeds; Tom Peterson - baritone & tenor sax
Polly Gibbons has come a long way from her childhood hometown of Framlingham, Suffolk - after spending her teenage years exploring the records of such great Black American artists as Mahalia Jackson, Aretha Franklin and Nina Simone, she’s now recording for US-based Resonance records under the eye of label boss George Klabin, with a band of hot LA session players - Dechter and Axt can both be heard on this season’s jazz-related movie smash, LaLa Land - and the twin guidance of Ronnie Scott’s house bandleader Pearson and pianist Tamir Henderson, who numbers Barbara Streisand among his regular employers. There’s a big, slickly arranged horn section and an eclectic repertoire that includes compositions by Ellington, Gary McFarlane and Antony Newley as well as more left-field choices such as 80s popster Thomas Dolby, whose ‘Ability To Swing’ is given a rollicking big-band treatment. Gibbons is a big-voiced, soulful belter of the old school, who can also deliver an intimate and hushed performance with conviction - as evidenced on a theatrical, emotionally charged ‘Wild Is The Wind’ - thanks to her thorough command of her art.
‘Basin Street Blues’ gets an attractively relaxed delivery from Gibbons, avoiding the kind of showboating that some might find tempting in such a lush setting, until the tempo picks up for a funky interlude, followed by a rollicking swing with plenty of room given to the band to stretch out. Gibbons always sounds powerful and supported, her intonation and rhythm are invariably spot on, and the arrangements are as tasteful and flawlessly executed as you’d expect from such a mainstream A-list team.
The choice of gospel and soul-flavoured material favours an extroverted interpretation, but amidst all the power, sustain and florid melismas Gibbons also conveys a sincere intimacy in her delivery that makes this feel like an authentic and personal statement despite the very slick ‘showbiz jazz’ arrangements. Her original composition ‘Is It Me’ gives a hint of how she might sound in a more informal, small-band setting and in it’s way is as powerfully affecting and convincing as the highly enjoyable big-band tracks.
Reviewed by Eddie Myer
Resonance Records RCD - 1025
Polly Gibbons - vocals; Tamir Henderson - piano; James Pearson - piano; Shedrick Mitchell - hammond organ; Graham Dechter - guitar; Kevin Axt - bass; Ray Brinker - drums; Willie Murillo - trumpet; Vinny Dawson - trumpet; Bob McChesney - trombone; Andy Martin - trombone; Bob Shepherd - reeds; Brain Scanlon - reeds; Keith Bishop - reeds; Tom Peterson - baritone & tenor sax
Polly Gibbons has come a long way from her childhood hometown of Framlingham, Suffolk - after spending her teenage years exploring the records of such great Black American artists as Mahalia Jackson, Aretha Franklin and Nina Simone, she’s now recording for US-based Resonance records under the eye of label boss George Klabin, with a band of hot LA session players - Dechter and Axt can both be heard on this season’s jazz-related movie smash, LaLa Land - and the twin guidance of Ronnie Scott’s house bandleader Pearson and pianist Tamir Henderson, who numbers Barbara Streisand among his regular employers. There’s a big, slickly arranged horn section and an eclectic repertoire that includes compositions by Ellington, Gary McFarlane and Antony Newley as well as more left-field choices such as 80s popster Thomas Dolby, whose ‘Ability To Swing’ is given a rollicking big-band treatment. Gibbons is a big-voiced, soulful belter of the old school, who can also deliver an intimate and hushed performance with conviction - as evidenced on a theatrical, emotionally charged ‘Wild Is The Wind’ - thanks to her thorough command of her art.
‘Basin Street Blues’ gets an attractively relaxed delivery from Gibbons, avoiding the kind of showboating that some might find tempting in such a lush setting, until the tempo picks up for a funky interlude, followed by a rollicking swing with plenty of room given to the band to stretch out. Gibbons always sounds powerful and supported, her intonation and rhythm are invariably spot on, and the arrangements are as tasteful and flawlessly executed as you’d expect from such a mainstream A-list team.
The choice of gospel and soul-flavoured material favours an extroverted interpretation, but amidst all the power, sustain and florid melismas Gibbons also conveys a sincere intimacy in her delivery that makes this feel like an authentic and personal statement despite the very slick ‘showbiz jazz’ arrangements. Her original composition ‘Is It Me’ gives a hint of how she might sound in a more informal, small-band setting and in it’s way is as powerfully affecting and convincing as the highly enjoyable big-band tracks.
Reviewed by Eddie Myer
