Coming off his Grammy-nominated 2013 album,
The World According to Andy Bey
, vocalist/pianist
Andy Bey
delivers the equally compelling 2014 release
Pages from an Imaginary Life
. As with its predecessor,
Pages
finds the jazz iconoclast returning to his roots with a set of American Popular Song standards done in a ruminative, stripped-down style. This is
Bey
, alone at the piano, delving deeply into the harmony, melody, and lyrics of each song. But don't let the spare setting fool you.
is a master of interpretation. In his seventies at the time of recording, and having performed over the years in a variety of settings from leading his own swinging vocal trio, to working with hard bop pioneer
Horace Silver
, to exploring the avant-garde with
Archie Shepp
,
has aged into a jazz oracle who doesn't so much perform songs as conjure them from somewhere in the mystical ether of his psyche. Famously blessed with a distinctive, sonorous baritone warble,
's voice has only ripened over the years to a warm, burnished, woody resonance; a sound perfectly suited for these poignant, romantic songs. In his hands, songs like "My Foolish Heart," "How Long Has This Been Going On?," and "Everything I Have Is Yours," take on new hues of gorgeous devastation. And yet, there's still something hopeful, swinging, and urbane about
's performances, and songs like "Lover Come Back to Me" and "Take the 'A' Train," are, as with all of the music on
, joyous, earthy celebrations of life and love. ~ Matt Collar