Andrea Clayburn "Nightshade"

Nightshade; Andrea Clayburn, vocals

Sometimes it becomes clear in the first few phrases. There are singers who put a little jazzy turn in a song and that's supposed to qualify them as jazz singers. Then there are others, like Andrea Clayburn, where that "jazz thing" happens so naturally that it's simply in their DNA. Clayburn doesn't need to scat up a storm; she doesn't need to do much other than sing the melody, and yet there it is. That jazz thing...Clayburn's got it. Easy as breathing. Her accompaniment is provided by a basic trio led by pianist Matt Clark. The trio expands to a larger group on several tunes. Her repertoire ranges from the ancient "After You've Gone" to "Skylark" and the Bill Evans' beauty "Turn Out The Stars". Much of the remainder of the CD is devoted to her very well written, literate, strong jazz compositions. If you're familiar with the British jazz singer Claire Martin, you might find Ms. Clayburn in a similar arena. And that's a good place to be.

Lot 49 Labs; 2016; appx. 52 min.