On 1988's
Blue Skies
,
Cassandra Wilson
took her first step away from the home she had built with
Steve Coleman
's M-Base organization. She'd done standards before, all the way back to 1985's
Songbook
. There are no M-Base players on this
JMT
set. She fronts a very conventional trio comprised of pianist
Mulgrew Miller
, drummer
Terri Lyne Carrington
, and bassist
Lonnie Plaxico
. The last of these is very significant because it would be
Plaxico
who directed her very startling and focused transformation when she signed to
Blue Note Records
in 1993 and released
Blue Light 'Til Dawn
. The program is pure standard fare, from
"Polka Dots and Moonbeams"
and
"Shall We Dance?"
to the title track and
Rodgers & Hart
's
"I Didn't Know It What Time It Was."
This cut is the most startling break from the rest in that it is much more forceful and hard-swinging than other readings, and showcases for the first time
Wilson
's tremendous individuality as a vocalist. There is much of
Betty Carter
still in her style here, but on this cut, she's pure
, even the scatting comes not from jazz but from the blues of
's Mississippi homeland. Another standout is
Carter Burwell
"Sweet Lorraine,"
which wasn't quite a standard at the time but is quickly becoming one covered by many singers and is delivered in the classic repertoire's lineage. Not a masterpiece, but a really compelling first experiment with the more intimate forms and smaller groups
would employ later on. ~ Thom Jurek