Artist: Vanessa Rubin
Album: I'm Glad There Is You: A Tribute to Carmen McRae
Genre: Vocal Jazz
Label: Novus
Released: 1994
Quality: APE (image+.cue)
Tracklist:
- Yardbird Suite
- I'm Glad There Is You
- Midnight Sun
- Inside a Silent Tear
- No Strings Attached
- Alfie
- Speak Low
- Easy Living
- A Child Is Born
- Send in the Clowns
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- Personnel:
- Vanessa Rubin - vocals
- Aaron Graves - piano
- Charles Fambrough - bass
- Yoron Israel - drums
- Grover Washington, Jr. - soprano sax and tenor sax
- Kenny Burrell - guitar
- Frank Foster - saxophone
- Monty Alexander - piano
- Antonio Hart - alto sax
- Cecil Bridgewater - trumpet
- Carlos McKinney - piano
- Michael Rubin - percussion
This Vanessa Rubin release is a tribute to Carmen McRae. Although she cites McRae as a major influence, Rubin actually does not sound much like her and leans as much toward middle-of-the-road music as jazz. Also, not all of these songs are really identified with McRae (most notably "Send in the Clowns" which was largely owned by Sarah Vaughan). The ballad-dominated set does have a reasonable amount of variety, Rubin gets off some fine scatting on "Yardbird Suite" and she introduces an excellent original in "No Strings Attached." A variety of guests (including Grover Washington, Jr., Frank Foster, Antonio Hart, Cecil Bridgewater, Kenny Burrell and Monty Alexander) only appear on one or two songs apiece and do not make that much of an impression. However Vanessa Rubin's attractive voice is strong enough to carry the music and this release is a step forward for her.
Review by Scott Yanow