there's something unique about a woman, a piano and whatever soul comes out of it.
rickie lee jones'10" ep "girl at her volcano" offered the kicks to hear her live versions
of a few torch songs/jazz standards such as stardust, lush life and my funny valentine.
her cover of "something cool" (written by bill barnes) was then available only as bonus track on the cassette format. the cd reissue includes it but most of the time it seems like there's only a costly japan import around...
anyway, rickie's version has the awkward feeling of a late chat with that girl you just met at the bar. she talks a little too much, a little too fast, there's some twinkling in her eyes and you can't be sure if it's because of you or too many drinks. the night is young and maybe she's a regular, some looking for mr goodbar-type but she's so damn pretty you just want her to keep talking so you can look into her eyes.
rickie lee jones:something cool from "girl at her volcano", wea 1983
GONE
enjoy the lyrics:
HERE
get lucky at your local record exchange store for a used version or open your webwallet online
BUY
in contrast, i felt i had to join JUNE CHRISTY'S original version bathed in the lush 50's sophisticated veneer of pete rugolo's west coast orchestra (feat.maynard ferguson, shorty rogers, bud shank, barney kessel...)
GONE
you'll be well-advised to enjoy her sultry vocals in this bargain-price collection of standards
HERE
but then i really wanted to hang on this bluesy mood and share another very introspective incarnation of a standard. from DISTORTION OF LOVE, one of PATRICIA BARBER's first recording in 1991 on antilles records, summertime is beyond words.
constructed around a repetitive piano, marc johnson's haunting bass and adam nussbaum's minimal percs, it's blues at its deepest in a very feminine, almost hurting way. whatever version of this classic you usually favor will never sound the same afterwards.
LISTEN
miss barber's success forced a reissue of this long out-of-print album
BUY
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1 comment:
lovely rickie lee rendition.
the june christy is one of my all-time fave jazz vox albums. those rugolo arrangements are so creative. in an interview, he once remarked on how he'd often have june change keys during a song, and she never complained or protested once--always rose to whatever weird challenge he threw her way.
another killer version is julie london's--on the cd "at home..."
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