lrb@rrivax.rri.uwo.ca (Lance R. Bailey) (11/20/90)
[ _girl_talk_, The Holly Cole Trio, Alert Music Inc, Z2-81016, DDD ] [ content: 5 ,performence: 10 ,recording: 9 (max: 5,10,10) ] I am very happily listening, for about the 10th time in 3 days, this latest disk from this Toronto jazz group. The HCT has been around for a few years, I first heard them on a New Music interview about a year ago, they've made a big hit in Toronto, and have travelled from New York to the Yukon offering the very intimate type of jazz that seems to be making a strong come back. Holly is a visual treat, she melts into her role dressing in 'revival' clothes on stage and _being_ a jazz vocalist from the smoky bars of prohibition. But although Holly seems to be born of the wrong decade, she is no anachronism, she takes her greatest delight in revamping the lyrics of old standards to more properly meet today's mores and values. The trio consists of Holly on vocal, Aaron Davis on piano and David Piltch on string bass. On occasion "percussive imagination" is added by David. Individually Holly and David are the strongest on the album, an opinion formed by such tracks as _My_Baby_Just_Cares_For_Me_ (which is interpreted as a vocal and string bass duet) and the bass intro to the title cut. Holly's vocals are sparked with emotion. While she handles such classics as _My_Baby_ or _Love_For_Sale_ (the latter unfortunately left off this pressing) with ease, the additional material, varying from _I'm_So_Lonely_I_Could_Cry_ to _Downtown_ all get the same heart-felt treatment and somehow do not seem out of place beside the others. Holly can laugh at us during _girl_talk_ or cry with us during _Spring_Can_Really_Hang_You_Up_The_Most_. David's string bass work is flawless, the solo in _My_Baby_ has quickly become my favourite bass work, usurping Jay Leonhart's Salamander Pie [Digital Music Products]. The finger work is well defined and he knows when to yank on the strings and when to just pluck and when to just stroke. Additional sax work by John Johnson and trumpet by John Macleod is added on the cuts _Cruising_ and _I'm_So_Lonely_ respectivley. Both artists mesh in well with the trio, and Johnson's breathwork hints at real greatness. The liner notes explain that producer Peter Moore attempted to mimic Billie Holiday's sessions by grouping the trio around the single Calrec Ambisonic Microphone and recording live to two track (machine not noted). The effect of this recording technique produces an excellent feel of intimacy. Holly is centre soundstage, David behind by about 2 feet and right by 3 feet. Aaron's piano tucks in nicely behind Holly and just left of centre. I am a little disapointed that nothing really comes forward of the speakers, not as it does with the recordings of Mari by Three Blind Mice, or the Cybill Sheppard lps I have. This however does not mean that the soundstage is distored, it matches the film/video that I saw of the recording sessions, it just happens to be placed a little further back than i prefer. Other than that minor comment, the recording is truly quite impressive. The detailing on the string bass and resonance of the wood is clearly heard. During the solo work, you can hear Piltch softly grunt and gasp with the effort of trying to make the bass do what he is feeling. The piano work comes through crisp and lacking the muddiness that can really mess it up. The trumpet work, even with straight mute, sounds -- to this ex-trumpet player -- true to life, with none of that tinny, squawking that can haunt poor trumpet playing. The big advantage to living in the Canada (other than a manical appreciation of summer) is that we hear not only the majority of U.S. distributed artists, but gems such as this recording from here in Canada. Look for it. lance Lance R. Bailey, Systems Manager ================================ box: Robarts Research Institute email: lrb@rri.uwo.ca Clinical Trials Resources Group fax: 519.663.3789 P.O. Box 5015, 100 Perth Dr. vox: 519.663.3787 ext. 4108 London, Canada N6A 5K8