This Is Book’s Music

Ah yes, the dreaded “vocal jazz” category, one that gets under my nails like something metaphorical that I don’t feel like writing about now. But I weed through the muck in the hopes of something surfacing, reaching for an ear and I listened to I’ll Remember April (LydianJazz) by Susie Meissner and you know what? I like it.

I know, “I like it is not enough for me to buy the CD, John, tell me more.” Sure. The album brings her together with trumpet man Brian Lynch to record 13 jazz and pop standards, and she brings forth a voice that shows experience and charm. In other words, she puts herself into the music where it doesn’t sound like Campbell’s soup looks: boring and expected. In versions of “I’ll Remember April”, “I Remember You”, and a great rendition of Irving Berlin‘s “How Deep Is The Ocean” you hear hope, loss, fear, and elegance in her voice, which either comes perhaps from personal experiences or believing in the power of these songs. In terms of emotion she reminds me a bit of Karin Plato.

The album also features David Mann (alto sax), Abe Speller (drums), John Shaddy (piano), and Greg Riley (tenor sex) and in the studio they lock together perfectly. The album was beautifully recorded, mixed, and mastered by Paul Wickliffe, so everything is balanced and it doesn’t sound like it was recorded in Dr. Satan’s echo chamber. Sometimes engineers and producers want to add a facade to the mix, which in a way is the point but some do it miserably. This is not one of those times. I think from this point on, people will hold April to their hearts but will go out of their way to remember Susie.B