If you favor a tall, rich cup full of enjoyment ground from the best of the Great American Songbook, here's jazz that is 100% pure, hot and strong. With Eddie Mendenhall (piano), Steve Robertson (drums) and Dan Robbins (bass), Ron Kaplan delivers nine solid vocal performances with all the smoke and sincerity of the great jazz performers of the '50's. Kicking things off with the Ellington/Mills classic "It Don't Mean a Thing," Ron demonstrates his ability to swing with a taste of growling grittiness. The fourth cut, "Stolen Moments/The Blues And The Abstract Truth", is an original (with music by Oliver Nelson) in which Kaplan creates a dynamite groove with plenty of room for his own vocal scatting and the player's solos. Other favorites include his oh-so-smooth work on "September Song" and "Green Dolphin Street," a personal favorite that, until recently, had sort of slipped off the mainstream jazz singer's repertoire.
If you are a Thelonious Monk fan, you'll no doubt be hitting the repeat button after "Round Midnight." Track to track, Kaplan's vocal interpretations exude the sincerity, tight phrasing and feel for the swing that can only come from the heart of a genuine jazz singer.
-RAL
