Ron Kaplan High Standards

Kapland Records 1997

Ron Kaplan, vocals; Smith Dobson, piano; Stan Poplin, bass; Steve Robertson, drums; Donny McCaslin Jr., Paul Contos, tenor saxophone

Ron Kaplan is a modest young man. This is an assumption based on the fact that his album High Standards, although self-produced, tells us , absolutely nothing about him. Perhaps he prefers to let his singing voice declaim on his behalf--which, by the way, it does rather persuasively. For comparison's sake, picture Lou Rawls or Kevin Mahogany as a tenor. Kaplan has a lot going for him: scrupulous phrasing, near-perfect diction, a range that is more than adequate for the task at hand. What he does not have, at least on the evidence presented here, is the kind of original approach that commands one's attention and forges a deep-seated emotional bond. The impression that lingers is one of a well-endowed cabaret singer. To his credit, Kaplan has employed top-notch sidemen--tenor saxophonists McCaslin and Contos make an especially favorable impression--but pianist Dobson is placed too far forward in the mix, forcing Kaplan to labor persistently to be heard. Kaplan's choice of material is also first class including as it does such uncommon choices as "Dindi," "Born to Be Blue," Dizzy's "Night in Tunisia," Horace Silver's "Senor Blues" and "Song for My Father," and the lovely yet seldom heard ballad "Lazy Afternoon," from the almost-forgotten Broadway show The Golden Apple. In sum, this is a respectable debut album by a capable young singer who is definitely worth checking out.

--by Jack Bowers