LAINIE COOKE - CD THE MUSIC IS THE MAGIC

Popis - THE MUSIC IS THE MAGIC:
'In this day of flash in the pan overnight TV singing sensations that cease to hold our attention for more than a stolen moment, vocalists like Lainie Cooke are a rare and welcome find. Her latest offering, The Music Is The Magic, is consistent with a body of work that began with her first radio appearance at age 6. Her voice has kept her in the business in one form or another from singing to voice over work ever since. This CD, the 3rd under her own name and 1st on the Onyx Productions Music Label, gathers a cast of stellar musicians. Bassist Luques Curtis, saxophonist Myron Walden, pianist and arranger Tedd Firth and yours truly make a great team in support of Lainie. The wisdom, clarity and nuances possessed by Lainie throughout the recording are most refreshing. At 73 years young, she has remained relevant as a songstress in the purest sense. I am proud to have produced what I believe is her best work to date. Lainie’s voice is in a word….Magic '- Ralph Peterson, producer The Music is the Magic Listening to Lainie Cooke’s third album, one is likely to wonder why a singer this talented is not better known. It comes down to marketing above all else. The 73-year-old Minneapolis native, who has spent most of her adult life in New York City, has only recorded sporadically (her first album Here’s to Life was released in 2002, followed by It’s Always You in 2008). And although she has a long history of performing live in NYC, she has not done a great deal of touring. But Cooke’s obscurity doesn’t make this Ralph Peterson produced CD any less enjoyable. Cooke favors a warm, appealing postbop approach, which draws on the influence of Sheila Jordan, Annie Ross and Anita O’Day (among others) and The Music Is The Magic underscores her willingness to take some chances when it comes to selecting material. Cooke picks a few Tin Pan Alley warhorses, including George and Ira Gershwin’s “Fascinating Rhythm” and Harold Arlen’s “Out of This World” but Cooke also unearths songs ranging from Artie Butler’s “Loving You” and Abbey Lincoln’s title track to Francis Lai’s theme from French director Claude Lelouch’s 1967 movie Vivre pour Vivre. And Cooke shows her fondness for pianists with expressive performances of Dave Frishberg’s “Our Love Rolls On”, Ronnell Bright’s “Sweet Pumpkin”, Roger Kellaway’s “I Have the Feeling I’ve Been Here Before” and Thelonious Monk’s “Ask Me Now” (with Jon Hendricks’ lyrics). Cooke’s solid backing comes from Peterson (drums), Myron Walden (saxophones), Tedd Firth (piano) and Luques Curtis or Tabari Lake (acoustic bass). This album called for sidemen who were swinging but nuanced and all of them fit right in. Although primarily a drummer, Peterson plays the trumpet as a secondary instrument; his Miles Davis like mute is an asset on a sensitive reading of Leslie Bricusse’s “When I Look in Your Eyes”. In a perfect world, Cooke would have a much larger catalogue. But a small one is certainly preferable to none at all and The Music Is The Magic demonstrates that this seasoned but underexposed vocalist is still very much on top of her game. NYC JAZZ RECORD,ALEX HENDERSON - APRIL 2015