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Karrin Allyson

‘Round Midnight

CONCORD JAZZ 32662
5-Stars
by Kirt Silsbee

Karrin Allyson has long been known for gathering choice material from far-flung sources and fashioning superior albums - a skill never to be sneezed at. This ennui-soaked program is no exception; her ability to shape songs to conform to an overall vision more than justifies her production credit shared with Nick Phillips. Opening with the suicidal “Turn Out The Stars” is a challenge, but Allyson’s many shades of emotion and implication bring the mood up with Paul Simon’s wistful “April Come She Will.” The musicality is substantial yet quite impressive: like changing keys in the middle of a line on “Spring Can Really Hang You Up The Most” or the dissolute piano underneath “Smile.”

Allyson’s condensed alto voice telescopes much into a small dynamic range. Singing the difficult octave jump to “Sophisticated Lady” is secondary to the understated pang of her reading. “Send In The Clowns” may be a tad hoary through overexposure, but recasting as a slow bossa give it longer legs. And a voice-bass duet on the title track yields another fine version of Thelonious Monk’s classic with an artist’s individual stamp on it.

Like Sarah Vaughan and Carmen McRae, magical moments occur in Allyson’s live sets when she accompanies herself on the piano. Her keyboard work here is almost subliminal - as much felt as heard. The recessed rhythm vamp on “Spring” helps her to subtly swing at the absolute lowest possible tempo and dynamic.

Low-key dividends abound: Bob Sheppard’s murky bass clarinet on Gordon Jenkins’ shamefully neglected “Goodbye,” Randy Weinstein’s tangy harmonica, Matt Wilson’s beautiful brushwork, Rod Fleeman’s filigreed guitar. But it’s all in service to Allyson’s evocative styling.