Wednesday, December 24, 2003  
WXPort
Feedback
 Clubs TonightHot TixBand GuideMP3sBest Music PollSki GuideThe Best '03 
 Clubs By Night | Club Directory | Bands in Town | Concerts: Classical - Pop | Hot Links | Review Archive |  
Home
Listings
Editors' Picks
New This Week
News and Features

Art
Astrology
Books
Dance
Food & Drink
Movies
Music
Television
Theater

Archives
Letters

Classifieds
Personals
Adult
Stuff at Night
The Providence Phoenix
The Portland Phoenix
FNX Radio Network

 
  E-Mail This Article to a Friend
 

Jeanne Lee
NATURAL AFFINITIES
(Owl/Sunnyside)
Stars graphics

This long-unavailable 1992 masterpiece by singer Jeanne Lee showcases the astonishing range and depth of the premier free-jazz vocalist of her time. Lee brought an intimate sensuality to whatever she sang, with a smooth, smoky alto voice that wrapped her material in a warm embrace. And as this diverse album shows, she could sing just about any kind of material well. She sounds as relaxed and assured swinging "I Thought About You" with singer/pianist Paul Broadnax (a cousin) as she does floating the free rhythms of trumpeter Leo Smith’s "Trilogy" or grooving Ntozake Shange’s lyrics over the Brazilian beat of "Ambrosia Mama." "Mingus Meditations," an impressive duet with bassist Dave Holland that uses a passage from Mingus’s autobiography Beneath the Underdog, drifts effortlessly between speech and improvised song.

That effortlessness was a hallmark of Lee’s singing: it gave everything an inner serenity and strength. And that’s the case here, whether she’s exploring the modal exoticism of "Journey to Edaneres" or the explosive free bop of "Free Space." The spirituality of her own lyrics alienated her from many listeners, and her long association with German multi-instrumentalist (he was also her husband) Gunter Hampel isolated her from the American jazz press, so she never really got her due. But she was a giant talent. Don’t pass this one up.

BY ED HAZELL


Issue Date: November 14 - 20, 2003
Back to the Music table of contents
  E-Mail This Article to a Friend







about the phoenix |  find the phoenix |  advertising info |  privacy policy |  the masthead |  feedback |  work for us

 © 2000 - 2003 Phoenix Media Communications Group