Karrin Allyson
Ballads: Remembering John Coltrane
Concord
Records
Read
the Jazzitude review of Karrin Allyson/Imagina: Songs
of Brazil
Read the Jazzitude
article Karrin's Got the Blues
Read the Jazzitude
review of Karrin Allyson/In Blue
Karrin Allyson is pretty brave. How else to
describe a singer willing to take on creating an homage
to John Coltrane by recreating, track for track, one of
his albums, performing vocal versions of the same songs
given such a deep reading by one of the undisputed greats
of jazz? How else to describe a singer willing to tackle
a performance of Coltrane's haunting compostition "Naima",
a piece for which there are no lyrics?
But then, Karrin Allyson is no newcomer to
the jazz world. Her first recording, I Didn't Know About
You, cut in 1992, won the singer notice as she finished
in the Playboy Magazine Reader's Poll alongside singers
like Ella Fitzgerald and Shirley Horn. Since then, Concord
Records has released five more albums by Allyson (not counting
the present one), including Azure-Te which featured
performances of such tunes as "Bernie's Tune",
"Night and Day", and "Yardbird Suite",
Daydream, which featured Randy Brecker and Gary Burton,
and From Paris to Rio on which she tackled tunes
made famous or composed by Jacques Brel, Edith Piaf, Joao
Gilberto, and Hector Villa-Lobos. So, why not tackle the
Coltrane legend?
In her liner notes, the articulate Allyson
reminds us that Coltrane was known more for his "sheets
of sound" than for his ballad interpretations, but
anyone who has listened to Coltrane in any depth at all
soon realizes that his tone and interpretation of ballad
material is unique and first-rate. "...I love that
unmistakable sound he (always) gets, in a beautiful plaintively
loving way, the deep feeling you're left with. It's not
simply romantic, for good ballads and the way one interprets
them are more complex than that." This realization
is key to Karrin's ability to get inside and deeply read
the songs rather than merely singing them in a jazz style.
Also of great importance is the fact that Karrin is a classically-trained
pianist (she accompanies herself quite ably on piano on
"I Wish I Knew") whose experience with the instrument
gives her a clear harmonic conception of the songs as well
as a melodic one.
The material here, though presented in a straightforward
manner, has plenty of challenges--challenges that appealed
to Coltrane and are handled just as well by Allyson. "Say
It (Over and Over Again)" leads off, establishing a
tone that is maintained throughout the album. The first
thing you become aware of is that Allyson is part of this
ensemble and very much in sync with her musicians, a quality
that has always been present in the very best recordings
by jazz vocalists from Billie Holiday to Dinah Washington.
The vocal portions of the song lead into a solo, then seem
to pick up where the soloist leaves off in intensity, building
from there. When James Carter takes off on his solo interlude
on "Say It" it leads beautifully into Allyson's
pumped-up reading of the bridge. "You Don't Know What
Love Is" begins in free tempo, Allyson's aching, arching
rendition of the minor-key melody accompanied by pianist
James Williams' flourishes. The number eases into a slow
tempo, both Williams and tenor man Bob Berg answering Karrin's
phrases before Berg plays a full-bodied solo that kicks
the piece into high gear. Again, Allyson meets the energy
level that's established when she rejoins the song, then
leads it back into the free-tempo conclusion, echoing the
opening and bringing the lyric to its powerful climax.
"Too Young to Go Steady" demonstrates
the way that Allyson and her colleagues can draw the best
from a song. Here, the arrangement and delicate soprano
sax work by Steve Wilson emphasize the song's harmonic structure,
while Allyson interprets the song in a way that is wiser
and a bit more world-weary than the lyrics imply, but pulling
back from melodrama. The result is like a long sigh from
someone who can see into the future and knows that there
is much heartache ahead. I'm not going to go through each
song, but each one does offer similar surprises, insights,
and rewards for the careful listener. Two things I must
mention--Allyson's scat vocal on "All Or Nothing At
All" is really first-rate, and scat is an area where
a lot of jazz singers get into trouble. It is what scatting
should be--a vocal solo. Rather than imitate a horn (trombone
or sax, for example), Allyson concentrates on generating
phrases that rise out of the song's melody and chord structure
and giving purpose and shape to those phrases to form a
coherent musical idea. That's pretty much a textbook definition
of improvisation, yet so many jazz vocalists forget it.
The other thing that bears discussion is Allyson's
rendition of Coltrane's ballad "Naima". Karrin
recognizes the song's integrity and beauty and thankfully
doesn't mar it by coming up with a set of lyrics. Instead,
she states the melody, singing wordlessly before turning
the song over to soloists. James Williams delivers a beautiful
piano solo around the modal chords before James Carter enters
with a brawny tenor sound that is enhanced by Lewis Nash's
kicking drums. Apparently Allyson sought the approval of
Alice Coltrane, John's widow, for this project, and one
can see why it was granted. Karrin Allyson doesn't try to
mimic Coltrane's phrasing, nor do any of her musicians really
try to imitate the style of the musicians on the original
album, rather the idea is to present a series of unique
jazz performances on a set of ballads and perhaps to draw
attention to one of Coltrane's more underrated recordings.
While certainly not as adventurous as Giant Steps, Favorite
Things, or A Love Supreme, John Coltrane's Ballads
presents his musical conception in all of its glorious beauty
and allows listeners who might find his other recordings
intimidating an opportunity to find out just why Coltrane
was so special.
And why Karrin Allyson is special, too.
