WILMA BAAN - So Nice
Self-released
Wilma Baan: vocals; Graham Harvey: piano, Fender Rhodes; Dave Chamberlain: double bass, guitar; Josh Morrison: drums; Claire Martin: percussion; Chris Traves: trombone, percussion
Recorded 5th – 8th October 2020 by Chris Traves at Kenilworth Studios, London.
First things first – yes, that is singer Claire Martin on percussion here. She has also produced this set. But this is very much Baan’s gig and she takes a bunch of Classic tunes and makes them her own. Songs like ‘So Nice’ (track 1), ‘Do nothing till you hear from me’ (track 4) or ‘The Folks who live on the hill’ (track 6) are so much part of the fabric of jazz that finding a way into them is a challenge in itself: you want the tunes to be the ones that you know and love, but also want something fresh that give them a new lease of life. To do this requires not only an appreciation of the songwriter’s craft, to decide which parts to keep and which parts to change, but also an ability to inhabit the tunes as if they were written especially for you. This is just what Baan brings to this session.
The session opens with an insistent bass line (a la Paul Chamber’s intro to Miles' ‘Someday my Prince will come’) which segues into bossa nova before Baan brings the vocals. Each of the musicians is clearly revelling in the session. They play the Standards in a relaxed manner. But I get the feeling that the personality that Baan puts into her singing also affected the session, and that there is such joy in this recording that each tune brings a smile, not just of recognition of the tune but also appreciation of the way in which it is brought to life. Baan has a particularly captivating way of working the tunes around the time signature, so that phrasing can be just before or just after the bars on the score - something, of course, that she shares with any of the great jazz singers.
While this might be Baan’s debut, I can’t helping thinking (and very much hoping) that this CD will garner such positive reviews that it won’t be her last. This is an album for anyone who loves the American Songbook, beautifully played jazz and singers at the top of their game who bring fresh interpretations of classics.
Reviewed by Chris Baber
Self-released
Wilma Baan: vocals; Graham Harvey: piano, Fender Rhodes; Dave Chamberlain: double bass, guitar; Josh Morrison: drums; Claire Martin: percussion; Chris Traves: trombone, percussion
Recorded 5th – 8th October 2020 by Chris Traves at Kenilworth Studios, London.
First things first – yes, that is singer Claire Martin on percussion here. She has also produced this set. But this is very much Baan’s gig and she takes a bunch of Classic tunes and makes them her own. Songs like ‘So Nice’ (track 1), ‘Do nothing till you hear from me’ (track 4) or ‘The Folks who live on the hill’ (track 6) are so much part of the fabric of jazz that finding a way into them is a challenge in itself: you want the tunes to be the ones that you know and love, but also want something fresh that give them a new lease of life. To do this requires not only an appreciation of the songwriter’s craft, to decide which parts to keep and which parts to change, but also an ability to inhabit the tunes as if they were written especially for you. This is just what Baan brings to this session.
The session opens with an insistent bass line (a la Paul Chamber’s intro to Miles' ‘Someday my Prince will come’) which segues into bossa nova before Baan brings the vocals. Each of the musicians is clearly revelling in the session. They play the Standards in a relaxed manner. But I get the feeling that the personality that Baan puts into her singing also affected the session, and that there is such joy in this recording that each tune brings a smile, not just of recognition of the tune but also appreciation of the way in which it is brought to life. Baan has a particularly captivating way of working the tunes around the time signature, so that phrasing can be just before or just after the bars on the score - something, of course, that she shares with any of the great jazz singers.
While this might be Baan’s debut, I can’t helping thinking (and very much hoping) that this CD will garner such positive reviews that it won’t be her last. This is an album for anyone who loves the American Songbook, beautifully played jazz and singers at the top of their game who bring fresh interpretations of classics.
Reviewed by Chris Baber
