April is Susanne Abbuehl’s ECM debut and combines her vocals with an interesting selection of instruments; piano, melodica, harmonium, clarinets and percussion. The material draws on the poetry of e.e. cummings , Carla Bley’s compositions and Abbuehl’s own co-compositions with band member Wolfert Brederode . And she tackles that well-known, and worn, classic "Round Midnight". More about that later.

The accompaniment is quite spare and allows a focus on the voice and texts. For example on "yes is a pleasant country" the percussion is restrained and when piano and clarinet contribute they add colour to the melody, following the line and offering economic embellishments. "somewhere i have never travelled, gladly beyond" finds Abbuehl speaking the words over Bley’s pellucid music, sensitively interpreted by Brederode’s piano. I’ve always found the words tender and fascinating :

your slightest look easily will unclose me
though I have closed myself as fingers,
you open always petal by petal myself as Spring opens
(touching skilfully, mysteriously) her first rose

Her treatment refreshed the poem for me, not having read it since its appearance in an encounter between Michael Caine and Barbara Hershey in Hannah and Her Sisters. And the spoken delivery affords the words the space they require. This is taken further on "since feeling is first" a short piece where she sings the words and the somewhat sombre melody acappella. Warmer is her treatment of "skies may be blue; yes" in which she tackles the verses then takes the melody and improvises wordlessly on a section with the bass clarinet underpinning her explorations, adding its own dark voice. Even if you are not a fan of cummings love poems, and I have to say that I am, the melody is attractive in itself.

Speaking of attractive melodies, she delivers Bley’s "A.I.R. (All India Radio)" with grace and elegance. There are no words on this track but her voice, in unison with Christof May’s clarinet, needs no text. It creates a hypnotic ambience and the excellent Brederode on piano lays down some perfect improvisations around the tune.

However, there are two other outstanding tracks which come from two different musical traditions. As mentioned, she takes on "Round Midnight", most often heard alone as a tune, and hauntingly so. But here with only the Indian harmonium for company she produces one of the most blues-drenched versions I’ve ever heard. It revitalises the term ‘blues’ and adds another level of loneliness. She captures perfectly the simplicity and directness of Bernie Hanighen’s lyrics.

The final piece offers a kind of homage using the work of one of her teachers and influences, Hindustani master singer, Prabha Atre. "Mane na" is a piece which haunts and, in a different way, creates a mood of solitary midnight. The band work with collective restraint on an improvisation that builds and fades bringing the album to a meditative conclusion.

So, Susanne Abbuehl is no ordinary ‘jazz singer’ but one who wants to explore the diversity of word and music. I hope this is just the beginning of a long association with ECM, whose production of this music is sensitive and enhances it.

Paul Donnelly
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