A British singer of Jamaican heritage,
Zara McFarlane
has carved out a distinctive niche on the global jazz scene with her progressive, yet always soulful style that blends R&B, folk, and reggae influences. It's a sound she has showcased to acclaim on albums like her 2014 MOBO Award-winning
If You Knew Her
, 2017's
Arise
, and 2020's
Songs of an Unknown Tongue
. Those albums highlighted her original compositions and strong Afro-Caribbean influences. With 2024's
Sweet Whispers: Celebrating Sarah Vaughan
, she highlights her more straight-ahead acoustic jazz roots, paying homage to her idol
Sarah Vaughan
and revealing her deep grasp of the standards-based vocal tradition. Collaborating with her on the project is clarinetist and saxophonist
Giacomo Smith
. An Italian-born/New York-bred improviser,
Smith
has lived in London since at least 2015 and leads his own band, many of whose members are featured here, including pianist
Joe Webb
, bassist
Ferg Ireland
, and drummer
Jas Kayser
, along with steel pan player
Marlon Hibbert
and cellist
Gabriella Swallow
.
One of the great jazz divas,
Vaughan
(who started performing in the 1930s and died in 1990) is revered for helping to bring bebop and hardcore jazz into the world of jazz vocals, pop, and standards. With her bright, highly resonant tone, shaded by just the right amount of throaty grit,
McFarlane
certainly evokes
's style; one that ably moves between bluesy swagger and velvety after-hours sophistication. Together,
and
conjure an atmosphere of warm authenticity, digging into a mix of classic and lesser-performed songs associated with
. Much of the album was recorded live to tape and consequently, cuts like the swinging "Mean to Me" and "September Song" have the relaxed glow of a nightclub performance. There are even more ambitious ear-popping moments, including the spiraling, double-tracked sax and clarinet riff that opens "The Mystery of Man," the title track from her ambitious 1985 recording featuring songs inspired by the philosophical writings of Pope John II. The song's inclusion here speaks to
's unique artistic choices and
's desire to spotlight those distinctive points in her career. Similarly,
dives into the steel pan-accented, Afro-Brazilian number "Obsession" off 1987's
Brazilian Romance
,
's collaboration with
Milton Nascimento
. She also offers an earthy reading of
Marvin Gaye
's "Inner City Blues," just as
did on her 1971
Mainstream Records
debut
A Time in My Life
; a record that marked a comeback for the singer who pursued ever more diverse sounds for the rest of her career. More than just a standards or tribute album,
Sweet Whispers
reveals just how stylistically broad-minded
was, a compelling trait
carries forward with passionate aplomb. ~ Matt Collar