The national arrival of Virginia-Washington, D.C. singer René Marie is a major event in the jazz vocal ranks. She has passion and technique to spare, and she's willing to try unusual material and fresh approaches. A ballad like "The Very Thought of You" shows her in command of all the traditional virtues, unfaltering pitch and articulation, subtle inflections of her sound, and a personal approach to reshaping melody. She even takes some signature songs and makes them her own, recasting "God Bless the Child" at a fast tempo that takes it out of Billie Holiday's exclusive orbit. She has a sense of a lyric's strength, too, whether it's the potent protest of Nina Simone's "Four Women" or the whimsy of Harold Arlen and Truman Capote's "A Sleepin' Bee."
The musicians are superb, working hand in glove with Marie well beyond the usual accompanying roles, from the Afro-Cuban modal powerhouse "Afro Blue" to the township groove of the title song. Pianist Mulgrew Miller surrounds her voice with the most apt chords, while bassist Ugonna Okegwo, solid throughout, makes a compelling duet of "Motherless Child." "Tennessee Waltz" picks up jazz harmonies from Marie's voice and a strong country-blues infusion from Marvin Sewell's slide guitar, while "Afro Blue" has Marie soaring with Sam Newsome's soprano saxophone, effectively imitating a flute in the process. Marie's also an affecting songwriter, as the uptempo "I Like You" and the sultry "Hurry Sundown" make clear. René Marie is a classic jazz singer, one who sets her standards by Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, and Sarah Vaughan but still makes her own statements. --Stuart Broomer |
