Music for When You're Feeling Down (82) - Carmen McRae
(3 min read)
Carmen McRae / The Great American Songbook
The live album "The Great American Songbook" (1972) by jazz singer Carmen McRae focuses, as the title suggests, on famous standards. While it includes some lesser-known gems and originals, the primary feature is that she is singing standards.
Furthermore, she covers songs that jazz singers typically wouldn't, such as those by Leon Russell, Burt Bacharach, and Aretha Franklin (or from their repertoires)—songs that likely hadn't yet been considered part of the "Great American Songbook" at the time of the 1971 live performance.
Since those songs have now fully joined the ranks of standards, one can see the keen insight of Carmen and the production team when they planned the live show. Even those rock and pop songs are interpreted here with a jazz-style performance, so even conservative jazz fans can listen with peace of mind.
The accompaniment is a guitar plus a piano trio. The fact that this band delivers such a truly excellent performance is another key point. Of course, they remain dedicated to accompanying the vocals, never standing out like stagehands, yet they provide exactly the necessary sounds to support Carmen, which is a crucial element.
Especially the pianist, Jimmy Rowles. His skill is simply breathtaking. The album contains many calm, ballad-style tracks where Carmen sings quite mellowly with just piano accompaniment, and Rowles's way of accompanying vocals is like a textbook example. His push and pull with the vocals is exquisite, and the sense of breathing together is truly wonderful.
Personally, I especially love the second side of the second disc from the old double LP. There are many songs I like, such as "Close to You," "Mr. Ugly," and "It’s Like Reaching for the Moon," and I think Carmen's singing is both soulful and truly beautiful. Including the tension and luster of her voice, there is nothing to complain about anywhere. It is a shame, however, that the fun banter before the songs, which could be heard on the record and CD, has been cut from the streaming version.
(written 2024.1.30)