Kansas City-reared jazz singer Deborah Brown employs an international, multicultural little big band
to make progressive American vocal jazz, managing the logistics brilliantly to produce one of the
best vocal recitals of the year. This fearless repertoire maven is not afraid of even the
stickiest subjects.
On International Incident, Ms. Brown takes on two Johnny Griffin compositions
("Take My Hand" and "Make Up You Mind"), Thad Jones' "A Child is
Born," and Pat Metheny's "Always and Forever." These are certainly not your
typical standards, but Ms. Brown and her crack band make their performance sound easy and very
enjoyable.
All the songs on the disc were originally instrumentals that later had lyrics applied. Some are
delivered in a typical vocalese fashion ("Make Up Your Mind") navigating Griffin's craggy
lines,
while others sound down right novel, as in the lengthy "Western Ballad."
"Western Ballad" is centered on the rhythm section with horn filigree. It is a beautiful
treatment. Ms. Brown's able band never gets in the way but does exist on an equal footing with the
singer. All solos are well constructed and intelligent, no sloppiness here. This group of professionals
came to do what they know best--play.
For more information, see
Deborah Brown on the web.
~ C. Michael Bailey
