JOANNE TATHAM — Out of My Dreams (review)

JOANNE TATHAM — Out of My Dreams album cover

Album · 2015 · Vocal Jazz

4.5/5 · 2015-03-07
Matt

The fifth song on Joanne Tatham’s newest release, is titled “Cool” and that is precisely what emanates with Joanne’s latest release being her third album, “Out Of My Dreams”. Impeccable phrasing and timing seem to be Joanne’s natural with the highs and even the lows all tackled superbly within her vocal range with a wonderful late 50’s to 60’s Jazz style and the addition of quite a nice contemporary touch. Twelve years prior Joanne was doing musical-comedy in New York until she ran into a TV Writer where a marriage, family with a move to L.A. all followed. Not only that, but one could say Joanne reinvented herself within her musical art and took up Jazz, singing solo in quite a few jazz clubs and cabarets over in L.A where she s has gone from strength to strength to arrive at this point in her career.

There are some superb musicians to support Joanne with Tamir Hendelman and Jamieson Trotter both inputting some wonderful arrangements and piano on the majority of numbers throughout the album’s duration. John Clayton with Lyman Medeiros are the bassists for their respective sessions with the drumming having Peter Erskine or Mike Shapiro behind the kit with Mike also adding percussion additions on his selected numbers. Marcel Carmargo, guitar and Bob Sheppard, saxophone on various tracks creating one highly experienced Jazz band and just a quick look at some of their past collaborations, include Hamilton Clayton Jazz Orchestra, Stan Kenton, Weather Report, Jaco Pastorius, John Abercrombie, Wynton Marsalis, Queen Latifah, Barbara Streisand, and even Todd Rundgren and the list just goes on and on.

Variety is the album’s key with a wonderful input of modern Post Bop Jazz, Bossa Nova, Broadway, Harry Nilsson and a David Frishberg composition bringing quite an entertaining touch to the album’s content. The McCoy Tyner composition with Sammy Kahn lyrics is where the album begins with “You Taught My Heart To Sing” with Joanne opening with a lovely scat and Bob Shepard’s sax over this quite spritely timed little tune with Joanne’s vocals covering those music scales with superb dexterity and some lovely addition on sax and piano respectively from Bob Sheppard and Tamir Hendleman included. Harry Nillson’s, ‘Without Him” ( Without Her) is given a beautiful Bossa timing with Michael Camargo’s guitar putting the Brazilian sunshine straight in from the start with Joanne singing in a lovely sultry style opening her vocals with a scat that just puts down her timing right throughout this number. Just a trio is used for the backing in “Devil May Care” with Lyman Madeiros keeping some wonderful time on bass providing not only some great vocal work for Joanne but also the pianist and drummer to work during this number containing at times a slight discordant touch. “Vivo Sonhando” is a Jobim composition with the majority of the band providing backing vocals for Joanne where she takes on Portuguese for one verse to great effect and I have to mention Michael Camargo’s beautiful guitar input and solo keeping all things Brazil. The Broadway composition “Cool’ follows being exactly that with a mix of scat and vocals. “Double Life” ( Tell Me a Bedtime Story) has Joanne writing her own lyrics over Herbie Hancock’s tune and sung in a beautiful laid back manner. Pure Jazz vocals for “Detour Ahead” and I am sure we all do have smooth roads with no detour ahead after listening to John Clayton’s bass within the composition. I just love the catchiness with Dave Frishberg’s “Too Long In L.A” . “You’re Sensational” a John Lucien song is given a wonderful take on a Bossa beat and the ballad “In A Lonely Place” follows but what really impressed me was how Joanne hits the low within her vocals throughout the number and holds the melody beautifully with more stunning input from Bob Sheppard’s sax. The Rodgers and Hammerstein Broadway number “Out Of My Dreams” from Oklahoma closes the album with Joanne adding her own lyric touch with the addition of Todd Hunter’s arrangement to close the album on a beautiful note.

Although there appears to be two main sessions held with different line ups, it only enhances the album’s content due to Michael Camargo’s guitar on certain tracks and Bob Sheppard’s sax on two others keeping Joanne sounding fresh with the required variety included. Great new album and if you like Jazz vocals, why not get it?