It's clear from the first note of Tahna Running's American debut CD, Time For Love, that she
isn't your run-of-the-mill twenty-first century singer. Just as
dipping one's foot into a pool doesn't qualify as
swimming, putting a couple of jazz songs on a pop CD doesn't create a jazz singer. Time for
Love is a full
roster of standards that was recorded in one take, with no rehearsals.
Most of the pieces are duets with Running and pianist Hugo Fatturoso; father and son
percussionists Hector and Arturo Prendez join in on a few others. Standout songs on this disc
include a Latin arrangement of "Lover Man," where the Prendezes make their first
appearance and Fatturoso scats along with the notes he's playing, á la George Benson,
during his solo. "The Sun Died" is an aching ballad of loss which Running sings with
palpable pain in her voice. "Star Dust," with its lengthy prelude and overall structure,
fits Running's singing style like a glove. The final tune, Leon Russell's "A Song For You,"
is a mission statement, a confession, a tip of the cap to the listener, and a perfect end.
Running's primary influence is clearly Sarah Vaughan, and she uses the same sultriness in the
lower register, though she's tremulous and slightly strident on the higher notes. Fattoruso is an
outstanding pianist, his wordless vocalizing highlighting a few of the tunes. The Prendezes provide
a solid pulse. Considering that they were operating without a net, the end result is quite good.
Occasionally Running doesn't quite hit a note; Fattoruso stumbles across the keys a couple of
times; and voice and piano don't always mesh seamlessly. But if slick production values are absent
from
Time for Love, so is soporific languor. Running may not have the best voice around, but
knowing how to interpret a song can count as much as a booming set of pipes. She was brave to
have taken so much risk the first time out, but adventure and invention are the essence of jazz.
Note: this review originally appeared in All About Jazz: New
York.
~ Terrell Holmes
