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Sophisticated songstress dusts off old classics
Her debut was a pairing of jazz standards and pop-flavored material, and her sophomore effort, the fabulous "Never Too Far," found her trying her hand at more R&B- and adult contemporary-flavored material. For her third release, "I Remember," Dianne Reeves takes us on a sentimental journey back in time to revisit some of her favorite standards.

The most immediately impressive element of the record is song selection; common chestnuts like "The Nearness of You" and "For All We Know" make appearances, but songs like "Afro Blue" and "Softly in a Morning Sunrise" are lush affairs that aren't recorded nearly enough, and the versions Dianne renders are of the highest order. "Afro Blue" is especially striking, with its juxtaposition of African rhythms and backing vocals against a jazzy soprano sax and lush piano. The energy of the track is undeniable, and the grand finale, with tom-toms and Reeves' high register galore, will inspire goosebumps in any true fan of jazz. The Stephen Sondheim ballad "I Remember Sky" is a chance for Dianne to show off and her fans to indulge; the grace and beauty of her voice has never been more apparent as she masterfully handles the wistful lyric. "Love for Sale" gets treated to a stirringly soulful intro before turning into a classic uptempo standard, and the Brazilian classic "Like a Lover" is here turned into an elegant duet for Dianne and guitarist Kevin Eubanks.

Throw in a unique reading of "How High the Moon" that goes from samba to swing and back again, as well as one of the most gorgeous readings of "You Taught My Heart to Sing" that you'll ever hear, and it's clear that we owe a debt to Dianne Reeves for authentically taking us back to a time that is sorely missed and isn't revisited nearly enough. "I Remember" will no doubt inspire many good memories of its own.

reeves has "the voice"
dianne reeves must like a challenge. for 1991's "i remember" she selects songs associated with several members of the jazz pantheon: abbey lincoln, billie holiday, ella fitzgerald, sarah vaughan, and miles davis. reeves uses her total musicality to build upon, consolidate, and re-imagine the songs of her predecessors.

she ups the "afro" in the lincoln-asociated, "afro blue." lincoln, with then-husband max roach, was part of the first wave of jazz musicians to incorporate african culture (dress, rhythm, politics) into black american jazz not for "jungle" exotica, but to unify the black american fight for civil rights with africa's struggle to overthrow colonialism. reeves appropriately punctuates the ending of "afro blue" (a song which combines the political force of african identification with a sensuous poem of two lovers) with cries that take the listener straight to the continent.

cole porter's once-controversial "love for sale" poses interesting challenges to interpreting the holiday and fizgerald recordings that reeves fuses: holiday in the pale of her vocal powers and, surely, the throes of some legendary "my man don't love me" blues, fizgerald at the height of her adult "songbook" fame, yet still possessing that girl "-babe in the woods" voice and persona. shouting a gospel salvo for her introduction lends reeves's "love for sale" an earthiness listeners might not immediately associate with the unflappably cool, literate, and sophisticated prostitute portrayed (in varying ways) by holiday and fitzgerald. for all its energy, reeves' opening must have been near-effortless: her voice shows no signs of over-exertion when she returns for the lightly delivered head statement. in this uptempo portion of the arrangement reeves summons the fragility and detachment of miles davis' trumpet and thereby reconciles holiday's tattered lady-cool with fitzgerald's inexperienced but-cool-braggadocio.

in a nod to sass (vaughan), reeves melds two of the divine one's gems by inserting the bridge of "misty" into her second chorus of "the nearness of you." (to give an idea of the challenge associated with vaughan's material, reeves has been quoted as saying that the one time they met, miss vaughan advised reeves never to open for her again.) the bass intro sets the finger poppin pulse; reeves, placed in the vein, swings like a lover's quick and quickening heart.

reeves also courageously selected fitzgerald's calling card, "how high the moon." realizing that no one can equal or mimic miss fitzgerald's eight hour scat, breakdown, medley, quote-session, AND reprise, reeves instead molds a different, creep-funky, quarter-note-driven, latin romp.

added to this mix are sondheim's poetic "i remember sky", the brazilian standard "like a lover," and mccoy tyner's beautiful ballad "you taught my heart to sing." these songs (with the holiday "in satin" warhorse "for all we know") show the gentle yet direct ballad style reeves employs. on "like a lover," her sonorous voice glides through the verses and then rollicks off kevin eubanks's' guitar in an ecstatic ad-lib duet. "you taught my heart to sing" is stated with simplicity; the lyrics, so aptly fitted to tyner's mood and melody, are sung without the excess drama that would cheapen their sentiment. on "i remember sky" reeves conjures the crispness of paper, sharpness of thumb tacks, and the enigmatic blue quality of the sky. reeves's artistry, expertly supported and enhanced by pianist billy childs, is on full display here.

reeves has something to please a wide variety of jazz enthusiasts. she is "the complete package," versatile and confident. her versatility is not the result of indecision as to who she is, but the result of abundant and nearly boundless vocal and emotive ranges.

in short, dianne reeves puts on a clinic! easily five stars and more.