Karrin Allyson Reviews

‘ROUND MIDNIGHT

Personnel: Karrin Allyson (vocals/piano/Fender Rhodes); Rod Fleeman (acoustic and electric guitars); Ed Howard (bass); Matt Wilson (drums); Bob Sheppard (alto flute/bass clarinet/soprano & tenor saxophones); Randy Weinstein (harmonica)

Tracks: Turn Out the Stars, April Come She Will, Goodbye, I’m Always Chasing Rainbows, Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most, Smile, Sophisticated Lady, There’s No Such Think As Love, The Shadow of Your Smile, Send in the Clown, Round Midnight.

How does she do it? Has she made a deal with Diablo? Nahhh, she’s simply endowed with an extraordinary mix of taste/talent/feel/finesse – all of which combine to produce a cozy assignation between listener and artist (this time pouring her considerable pianistic skills into the mix).

For fans of Karrin Allyson (who isn’t?) this is the one for which we’ve been waiting: the absolutely made-for-jazz vocal giantess accompanies herself throughout – sharing with the rest of the world that up-close-and-personal ambience we’ve been fortunate enough to witness first-hand. Her liner notes invite the listener to “...Imagine yourself, in the city, walking, late at night. It’s “‘Round Midnight”...you hear some warm sounds and you follow your ear down into a small, dark club. There’s a woman at the piano, singing these intimate ballads...”

An auspicious group of side-giants further enables this rendezvous: her long-time musical partner, Kansas City’s own lyrical/lithe Rod Fleeman; woodwind virtuoso, Bob Sheppard; amatory harmonicist, Randy Weinstein; bassist profundo, Ed Howard; and drummer extraordinaire, Matt Wilson.

You can thank Allyson’s mother and Bill McGlaughlin for suggesting that she learn Bill Evans and Gene Lee’s “Turn Out the Stars.” A plaintive piano/vocal gently ushers in the bittersweet soliloquy, joined at the bridge by Sheppard’s sympathetic tenor sax. Bass and drums enter (stage deft) and the passionate ensemble builds and morphs into a pulsating 6/8. You’ll hear ‘the ocean’s roar’ as she begs it to stop – then listen to it acquiesce, the ballad ending as delicately as it began.

An unadorned yet simply beautiful rendering of Paul Simon’s “April Come She Will” follows, this time Karrin accompanying herself on the Fender Rhodes. After a listen or two you may find the versification trickier than her effortless delivery makes it sound. Fleeman’s guitar solo is, of course, gorgeous and the barely audible drum accents are a part of every singer’s fantasy.

I first heard “Goodbye” sung by Chris Connor; Allyson (a few generations behind me) remembers Linda Ronstadt’s version, then – later – a touching rendition by Rod Fleeman and bassist Bob Bowman as a send-off when Karrin and Bill McGlaughlin left Kansas City for New York. (A sad day for ALL of us.) In any case, it’s one of my all-time, sad-song favorites – and this singer has, unquestionably, the chops to deliver the pensive farewell. You’ll love Rod’s deliciously furtive guitar solo over Shep’s tremulous bass clarinet. And, believe it or not, it swings. Listen for other (clever) surprises...there are several.

“I’m Always Chasing Rainbows” (AKA Chopin’s “Fantaisie Impromptu, Opus 66, in C# minor”) is eloquent in its simplicity – Allyson’s timbre ideally suited for the naiveté suggested in the lyrics, the sentient soprano sax mirroring her innocence. She phrases on the sly; you’re so entranced by the voice/the chart/the sidemen/the soloist(s) that your appreciation for her musicianship is sometimes an afterthought. Her self-accompaniment – the chords, the half-time feel, the lines – is simply grand (pardon piano pun).

I’ve loved “Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most” since I first heard Marilyn Maye sing it at the old Colony. This version will tilt your head, especially the choruses: no longer ‘poor me’ it’s sassy and seductive. And the band is perfection – absolutely of one mind/soul. Just when you think you’ve heard it all, incredulous as it may seem, she scats the ending out. I’m SO crazy about this chart! Speaking of...

...Ms. Allyson wears yet another chapeau for this recording: that of arranger. Each and every arrangement is hers, save Rod Fleeman’s orchestration of “Send in the Clowns.” (Where’s my hemlock?)

At the piano, her stretched out hands slowly cascading toward each other over a lovely but unconventional arpeggio, Karrin’s voice ever-so-tenderly introduces “Smile.” The ethereal accompaniment – a reminder that this is a classically trained pianist – is well-suited to the intentionally ambivalent reading. Just as the mood is about to carry you off, Randy Weinstein’s haunting (it’s a good haunt) harmonica wafts through the air – not interrupting so much as embellishing the moment. Allyson the arranger has penned another exceptional score.

Rod’s guitar ushers in a piano-less “Sophisticated Lady” – classy and perfectly cast: Allyson bending a note here and there, backphrasing when it works, offering an occasional substitution, choosing inauspicious dynamics, living in the lyric, and providing (for Ellington’s masterpiece) an ideal frame. Randy’s lilting harmonica softly wails in the background, soloing only briefly - up to the bridge –after which Karrin takes it out, ending sweet...and low.

Karrin first heard “There’s No Such Thing As Love” via a live Carmen McRae recording (as did I). You’ll play this one over and often, transfixed by the rubato rendering of just voice and piano...so effective in this simple (but certainly not sparse) rendition. She sings and plays it only once through, her touch and sound a faultless mix.

Rod’s gentle comping underlays Allyson’s (almost) whispered first chorus of “The Shadow of Your Smile.” Everyone is accounted for, yet they play so softly they shimmer. Sheppard delivers another sensual solo – this time on the alto flute - and if this cut doesn’t conjure up much more than a shadow of a smile, you may be old before your time.

As previously mentioned, Rod Fleeman wrote the arrangement for “Send in the Clowns,” and it’s a doozy. These are not your usual garden-variety clowns; check out the harmonies...how they (p)lay with the lyrics...how Karrin comes out of the bridge (‘no one is there...’), Rod’s quasi-classical solo (and how HE comes out of the bridge), the ascending bass line, the reflective vocal...’A Little Night Music’ with something for everyone.

I haven’t meant to ignore Matt Wilson. He’s a dream of a drummer – solid, sensitive, as tasty as they come.
He seems to enjoy the role of rhythm meister, content to bask in the reflective glory of the group.

Well, the old clock on the wall says it’s nearly time for the ‘small, dark club’ to close. Karrin’s no longer at the piano and it appears Ed’s going to accompany her on the bass. He plucks a facile intro as she picks up the mike and just like that, “’Round Midnight” rears its tricky head. Yikes! Voice and bass! To go as bare bones as this would be risky for any singer, much less one with such a solid international reputation. It’s Rod’s idea (he’s never had a bad one) so Allyson and Howard more than manage the tune: they own it. It’s sultry and soulful; Karrin’s voice is horn-like (anyone remember Helen Merrill?), Ed’s bass – sexy and smooth. My only regret is that this is the last number. Sigh. I have to come back here...real soon.

Carol Comer