CD REVIEW: GLENDA DAVENPORT//JON & LYNN

Since I don’t consider myself a jazz aficionado by any means (although I am learning!), and perhaps am not qualified to dig into the more intricate nuances of this particular art form, I have decided to chronicle these two releases together, with no slight intended to the artists involved, but simply because I am enjoying them. And, by gum if I didn’t find a way to, albeit slightly, connect them!

First, allow me to pour you a nice, rich, full-bodied glass of red wine (a pure cabernet franc, thank you), light some candles, pulla fluffy blanket around us and let’s settle back on the couch and get wrapped up as well in the mellow and downright soothing sounds of Ms. Glenda Davenport. No Earth-shattering song choices, and certainly no vocal gymnastics of the kind one can find nightly on a certain singing competition program! Just some right-on, swingin’ arrangements that elegantly cushion a warm, knowing and highly appealing voice. Musical director, arranger and pianist Hiroshi Yamazaki created these tempting musical landscapes for Ms. Davenport, and is matched in dance and deed by Ryan Berg on bass, David Jones on drums and a special alto-sax appearance by Carmen Leggio. Selections are all tasty treats from the American Songbook, most very familiar and a couple (at least to me) that were not so; “Moonlight in Vermont” (JohnBlackburn & Karl Suessdorf) and “Don’t Go to Strangers” (Arthur Kent, Dave Mann & Red Evans), both of which are quite strikingly appealing.The most modern tip of the hat here (oh, I’m feeling my age a bit suddenly) is the Stevie Wonder gem, “For Once in My Life,” which slips into a cozy groove, much like that glass we just finished!

So, for goodness sake, let’s pour another and take a spin with Jon & Lynn, who by the way, also cover an even more recent creation by Mr. Wonder, “Overjoyed” from his 80’s classic (is there such a thing? Yes!) album “In Square Circle.” This unusual duo also takes many of their cues from the catalog of  traditional standards (“If I Only Had a Heart,” “Cry Me a River,” “All The Things You Are”), contemporary "standards" (“Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You,” “I Think We’re Alone Now,” “Downtown”) and even a couple of compositions by Jon himself (“Last Road to Home,” “WhenI Talk to You”). Jon & Lynn are, by the way, Jon Burr & Lynn Stein, and their "band" consists entirely of the two of them, Jon on bass and Lynn on vocals. While there is the ever-present danger of slipping into a predictable pattern with this approach, the couple mostly manage to invest each song with a different identity, a testament to Lynn’s playfull way with a lyric, Jon’s skillfully imaginative plucking and their obvious joy in performing together.

Now, if that cab franc isn’t finished by now, what are we waiting for? We’ve certainly had the right music to accompany it.