For a project inspired by a 1944 Oscar-winning short film called Heavenly Music, Kathy Ingraham’s new recording, Jazz Dreams, is an unexpectedly bracing and jazzy dive into rock radio. In the film, a deceased bebop jazz band leader must justify his entry into the heavenly Hall of Music before a committee of elitist classical composers and thereby gain “eternal residence in the sanctum sanctorum of music.” Ultimately, Tchaikovsky, Beethoven, Bach, Wagner, et al are convinced to perform their own interpretations of his jazz tune in their own individual styles.
On Jazz Dreams, Ingraham evokes a magical alchemy with an all-star group of musical collaborators, including Randy Brecker (flugelhorn), Pete Levin (piano, bass), Elliott Randall (guitar), Joel Rosenblatt (drums), EvanChristopher (clarinet), Matt Wensor (guitar), William Galison (harmonica) and Lily Del Rosso (backing vocals). Ingraham’s vocals are a special mix of understatement and power, of Blossom Dearie’s innocence, Deborah Harry’s rawness, and Kate Bush’s ethereal rock. When coupled with the adventurous deconstruction and reimagination of classic rock through a jazz lens, the results are as irresistible as they are unexpected.
Driven by Brecker’s flugelhorn and Randall’s guitar, Aerosmith’s “Dream On” (Steve Perry) eschews the rock bombast for an ever building and more passionate entreaty. Removing the blues element from “House of the Rising Sun” (American traditional folk song) intensifies the storytelling in surprising ways, hypnotically painting the portrait of a city that steals the hopes of many a poor soul. Christopher’s inspired clarinet gives the whole song a patina of light surfaces and darker interiors. “Little Things Redux” the first of two originals by the singer, luxuriates in the classic trio sound of Levin on piano and Rosenblatt on drums as Ingraham uses the range of her vocals to illuminate the insistent lyrics. The other, “Melusina,” resides in that special, mystical magical rock realm of The Moody Blues and the like, beautifully evoked by her soaring voice.
If the album has a standout, I would say it is “Ruby Tuesday” (Mick Jagger, Keith Richards) which is afforded a much more captivating story than I ever imagined it possessed. The passionate vocals are cushioned by Del Roso’s back up vocals in a way that makes it even more thrilling. The vocals are so striking, in fact, that any thought of mentioning a “nepo” connection between mother and daughter is left at the door. The power and energy of Laura Nyro’s “Eli’s Coming” are transformed and revitalized in the closest to a straight-ahead cover on the album. Ingraham invests the passionate story with a sense of pain and loss that give the line “…better hide your heart…” surprising power.
Levin’s piano offers the perfect introduction to so many of the moods and stories on the album but nowhere more so than on its finale, Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven” (Jimmy Page, Robert Plant). Additionally, Galison’s haunting harmonica stylings give the whole song a timeless quality that is reinforced by Ingraham’s thoughtful, emotional vocals. The overall effect, of the song and of the album is stunning.
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Jazz Dreams, produced and engineered by Kathy Ingraham for Pierdon Records.
Gerry Geddes, critic for BistroAwards.com, is an award-winning director, writer, teacher, performer, lyricist, and a contributor to the podcast Troubadours and Raconteurs. He conceived and directed the acclaimed musical revues Monday in the Dark with George (Bistro and MAC Award winner), Put on Your Saturday Suit—Words & Music by Jimmy Webb, and Gerry Geddes & Company (in its five-year residency at Pangea). He has directed singers André De Shields, Darius de Haas, Helen Baldassare, and Lisa Viggiano. He has been active in the cabaret world for over five decades and has produced numerous CDs; his lyrics have been performed and recorded here and in Europe. Gerry’s workshop, The Art of Vocal Performance, is regularly offered to singers of all levels. His memoir of life in NYC, Didn’t I Ever Tell You This?, was recently published and is available at barnesandnoble.com. He is currently at work on his first novel.
