From the January 2011 issue of All About Jazz-New York:
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Having won the 2010 Thelonious Monk Competition, vocalist Cécile McLorin Salvant was first to appear in the Tribeca Performing Arts Center’s annual “Monk In Motion” finalists’ showcase (Dec. 4). The Miami-born, French-American Salvant has a thing for choice old repertoire — the Bessie Smith vehicles “You’ve Got to Give Me Some” and “Take It Right Back,” Valaida Snow’s minor-key burner “You Bring Out the Savage in Me” — and she’s capable of rendering these in a vintage ’30s style. But set against pianist Dan Nimmer’s tight Red Garland-esque solos and the boppish groove of bassist John Webber and drummer Pete Van Nostrand, Salvant’s singing took on a modern glow. Her banter was minimal and stiff — give her some years and her stage presence will improve. But the singing was playful and charismatic on “Love for Sale,” “I Only Have Eyes for You,” “If I Only Had a Brain,” “Laugh Clown Laugh” and a number of more obscure items, such as Benny Carter’s ballad “Love, You’re Not the One for Me.” Her pitch was unerring in all registers, and her clever dynamics — from frail pianissimos to exaggerated fortes on smartly chosen vowels — had the effect of drawing listeners into every lyric. In a nod to the great James Moody, she closed with a soulful “Moody’s Mood for Love,” exuding a personal connection to the material and to the history of jazz itself. Moody was badly ailing that very moment, and he passed less than a week later. (David R. Adler)
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There are just a few pianists with the stature, and sheer musical resources, to carry off a full week of solo piano at the Village Vanguard. Fred Hersch is one of them, and he set the precedent in 2006. Martial Solal and Cecil Taylor have followed suit with weeklong solo showcases of their own. By the time Hersch played the final set of his triumphant return engagement (Dec. 5), he was extremely limber and fully at ease, summoning a huge yet rounded and intimate sound from the grand piano dominating the stage. “In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning” was his opener, a radiant ballad framed by unsettled left-hand tremolos at the beginning and end of the take. Rarely a flashy player, Hersch tends to keep his considerable chops in reserve to suit the music. But here, after 11 previous sets, he was flying. His articulation on the dark but fast 6/4 of “Echoes” was hair-raising. His midtempo swing on “Lee’s Dream” (based on “You Stepped Out of a Dream”) was bristling and full of surprise. His lyricism on “Doce de Coco” was without peer. His encore, “Doxy” by Sonny Rollins, followed a route similar to “You’re My Everything” from Hersch’s latest trio album Whirl — all improvisation until the very last round, when the melody finally emerged. Thelonious Monk’s “Work” also found Hersch deep in swing and discovery, landing like a gymnast after a set of risky moves. If this was work, he wasn’t letting it show. A live recording is due from Palmetto in March 2011. (DA)
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