Joanne Tatham: Out of My Dreams

Joanne Tatham

Out of My Dreams

(Café Pacific Records)

January 3, 2015

Review by Alix Cohen for Cabaret Scenes

Joanne Tatham’s Out of My Dreams has a kind of ’50s/’60s, two-martini jazz feel. Robust crosscurrents often obscure melody. Modulations are original, rhythms unexpected; arrangements meander on paths less traveled. No-nonsense musical skill gives the CD pith, even when emotional intention sounds unfamiliar. True to the era, there’s no through-line.

The vocalist has a flair for Afro-Brazilian music. “Vivo Sonhando” (Antonio Carlos Jobim/Gene Lees) sighs, coloring enunciation as naturally as Tatham’s silken tone.

“I am quite hopeless it seems/Two things I know how to do/One is to dream, two is loving you” she sings to the utterly lovely strains of Marcel Camargo’s guitar. The song is romantic, reflective. A bit of shushing Portuguese peeks in. “You’re Sensational” (Jon Lucien, not Cole Porter) is an effervescent, staccato samba. Tatham can clip a phrase without ever seeming hard edged.

Lou Carter/Herb Ellis/John Frigo’s “Detour Ahead” is a wounded warning. Tatham airbrushes emotion with an elegant, sophisticated approach, evoking dejection rather than despair. An adroit bass (John Clayton) feels like the plucking of heartstrings. Diminuendo finish appeals. All the numbers on this CD seem a step back from being deeply affected. The singer as a character is never subjugated or overcome, something I missed.

Another redolent choice, “In a Lonely Place” (Marilyn Harris/Mark Winkler) is interpreted as an after-hours foxtrot. I envision a sleepy band letting cigarette ash fall like Tatham’s brooding octaves. Waiters want to close up. Heads are in hands. There’s a single couple on the dance floor. Bob Sheppard’s mournful sax asks why? A convincing scenario.

“Without Him [Her]” (Harry Nilsson) is a rhythmic, shoulder-swaying bossa nova arranged in sharp conflict with melancholy lyrics. I can’t imagine the reasoning here. “Cool” (Leonard Bernstein/Stephen Sondheim from West Side Story) embodies seductive suggestion rather than the usual edgy demand, becoming something else entirely.

Nor will you recognize “Out of My Dreams” (Richard Rodgers/Oscar Hammerstein II from Oklahoma!). Though the waltzy chorus (made jazz) remains, it’s bookended by new lyrics (and melody) indicating the thoughts of an experienced woman, not a corn-country virgin. Surprisingly, the additions work. If one were unfamiliar with the original, this would appear an intriguing story song unto itself.

The CD also features Tamir Hendelman (piano), Peter Erskine (drums), Jamieson Trotter (piano), Lyman Medeiros (guitar), Mike Shapiro (drums).

Joanne Tatham is sheer jazz baby here. Musicianship is excellent.

Tags: Afro-Brazilian Music, Alix Cohen, American Songbook, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Bob Sheppard, bossa nova, Café Pacific Records, CD, Cole Porter, Cool, Detour Ahead, Female Singer, Female Vocalist, Gene Lees, Great American Songbook, Harry Nilsson, Herb Ellis, In a Lonely Place, Jamieson Trotter, Jazz, Jazz Vocalist, Joanne Tatham, John Clayton, John Frigo, Jon Lucien, Leonard Bernstein, Lou Carter, Lyman Medeiros, Marcel Camargo, Marilyn Harris, Mark Winkler, Mike Shapiro, Music, Oklahoma, Oscar Hammerstein II, Out of My Dreams, Peter Erskine, Popular Song, Recording, Richard Rodgers, Samba, Songbook, Stephen Sondheim, Tamir Hendelman, Vivo Sonhando, Vocalist, West Side Story, Without Her Him, You’re Sensational

Category: Los Angeles, Music, Music Reviews, Regional