Jane Ira Bloom

August 1 - 8, 1 9 9 6 [Off the Record]

**** Jane Ira Bloom

THE NEARNESS

(Arabesque)
There comes a time in the life of every great soprano-sax player when mastery of that difficult horn is attained and individual expression flowers. Think of Sidney Bechet in the '30s and Steve Lacy in the '70s. Jane Ira Bloom deserves to be included in that pantheon on the basis of this stunning album. Her success turns largely on her inventiveness in revamping standards. Her blues-colored inflections on "In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning" and "Summertime" have passionate bite and reject the trappings of easy sentimentality. " 'Round Midnight" is given an acerbic, exploratory reading. The title tune, Hoagy Carmichael's "The Nearness of You," permits you to hear her thinking, phrase by phrase, about how to offer fresh angles on that song's interplay of imaged and realized romantic desires. Bloom's band, including a cautious Fred Hersch on piano and an absolutely intuitive Kenny Wheeler on trumpet, complement her every move with loving care. This is a recording of rare refinement.
-- Norman Weinstein
(Jane Ira Bloom plays Scullers next Thursday, August 8, with Julian Priester, Mark Dresser, and Bobby Previte.)