What does a bass player do when he's recording an album as a leader? Surely not an hour's worth of bass solos!
Ray Brown
solved the bass player's dilemma with a series of recordings under the
Some of My Best Friends Are...
heading. This 1998 release is the third in the series, following the earlier
Some of My Best Friends Are...Piano Players
and
Some of My Best Friends Are...Sax Players
, and it's a gem. Featuring a sextet of fine vocalists, ranging from the well-established to the unknown, this CD is a class act from beginning to end. The rising jazz vocal superstar of the late '90s,
Diana Krall
, is showcased to great effect on
"I Thought About You"
"Little Boy."
Well-established female vocal veterans
Etta Jones
,
Dee Dee Bridgewater
, and
Marlena Shaw
deliver superb performances, soulfully giving master lessons in the art of singing. The lone male singer spotlighted here,
Kevin Mahogany
, wraps his smooth baritone around the ballad
"Skylark,"
and swings gently on
"The Party's Over."
The one unknown in this collection is Oregonian
Nancy King
. This veteran of the San Francisco and Pacific Northwest scenes shows she has a fine way with a ballad on
"But Beautiful,"
and scats her way across the upbeat
Brown
original
"The Perfect Blues,"
that closes this set. Both of these songs also feature
Antonio Hart
's alto saxophone. In addition to
's trio mates
Geoff Keezer
Gregory Hutchinson
, musical support includes guitarist
Russell Malone
on two tracks and tenor saxman
Ralph Moore
cooking alongside
Bridgewater
on
"Cherokee."
~ Jim Newsom