In her
Summit Records debut, Karla Harris Sings the Dave and Iola Brubeck Songbook,
vocalist
Karla Harris brings something rarely heard in a Brubeck tribute: Lyrics. This
new release is the first-ever studio recording featuring the vocal songbook of
Dave Brubeck's music with lyrics written by the person who had an especially
close insight into the iconic jazz pianist's music - his wife of 70 years, Iola
Brubeck.
Harris,
a marvelous singer who gained a strong presence on the Pacific NW jazzscape
after living for years in Portland, is poised to enter the national stage with
this contemporary, respectful and musically innovative tribute. Not since a
1961 live recording of the Dave Brubeck Quartet with guest vocalist Carmen
McRae has there been an album of vocal versions of this music, and no one has
ever gone into the studio to record and release the Brubeck Songbook as a
dedicated vocal project.
The
project is the brainchild of Los Angeles-based producer, arranger and pianist
Ted Howe, whose previous recordings include chart-topping tributes to Gershwin,
Elton John and Ellington. Howe, a lifelong Brubeck fan who remembers the first
time he heard the pianist in 1954 ("his playing floored me," he
recalls) cites Brubeck as a major inspiration in his own career, and has long
wanted to produce a vocal tribute of the composer's music.
Impressed
with Harris after working with her at a 2013 concert he produced in Atlanta, Howe
approached the singer with the idea.
"I
loved the concept immediately. It was intriguing, to say the least,"
Harris says. "I had no idea words existed for so many of the songs Dave
Brubeck composed or that Iola wrote so many of those lyrics. They've really
gone largely undiscovered."
Work got
off the ground when Howe, through the Brubeck estate, received a copy of a
rare, out-of-print Dave Brubeck songbook published more than 30 years ago - a
copy provided by Iola herself in early 2014 for this project, shortly before
her passing.
"It
felt like we were uncovering hidden treasure," Harris says of looking
through the music for the first time. "There was as an opening verse to
'Strange Meadowlark,' for example, that we didn't know even existed. And there
was Iola's name listed as lyricist on tune after tune, making it clear this
songbook belonged to them both. Her words were sophisticated, filled with
imagery and emotion; they changed my experience of some of these songs. I wanted
to sing them very much."
Included
among the 11 tracks on Karla Harris Sings the Dave and Iola Brubeck Songbook
are several Brubeck classics along with a few less-known standouts, as well as
some tunes from "The Real Ambassadors," a musical the couple wrote
together in 1962.
Lyrics
led the way as Howe created arrangements, opening some unexpected approaches in
the process. For example, "In Your Own Sweet Way," traditionally
played as a bright swing tune, here becomes something plaintive, taking its cue
from Iola's surprisingly melancholy lyrics. "Take Five" melds a
haunting new vamp with the classic Desmond progression to bring out what Harris
calls "some frustrated longing" in those lyrics written by Iola and
Dave.
The
arrangements on Karla Harris Sings the Dave and Iola Brubeck Songbook are
dynamic and a complement to Harris' singing, which is luminous and compelling
throughout. She is joined by a group of masterful musicians who shine,
collectively and individually - fitting for a tribute to a composer famous for
instrumental hits. Howe, deft and fluid at the piano, is joined in the rhythm
section by two players well known to contemporary jazz listeners - Modern
Drummer Hall of Fame inductee Dave Weckl and internationally acclaimed bassist
Tom Kennedy. The twin engine of Weckl and Kennedy, who have played together on
various projects and tours for decades, powers beautifully and seamlessly the
diverse feels among the tracks. Rounding out the group is L.A. session veteran
Bob Sheppard adding alto sax to three of the 11 tracks with mesmerizing
Desmond-esque flavor.
Throughout
the recording, producer-arranger Howe honors Dave Brubeck's legacy. "This
project was my way of saying thank you musically for his impact and for his
influence on my own playing," Howe says. "I incorporated, in my own
way, innovations Brubeck is associated with, such as polyrhythms, bi-tonalities
and varied time signatures and styles, within a vehicle for Karla."
The
result is a modern tribute that completely showcases Dave Brubeck's music
hand-in-hand with the incredible lyrics of Iola Brubeck through the voice of
newcomer Karla Harris.
Upcoming
Karla Harris Performances:
February
26 / Portland Jazz Festival / Portland, OR
February
28 / Portland Jazz Festival / Portland, OR
March 6
/ Sarasota Jazz Festival / Sarasota, FL
March 8
/ The Palladium / St. Petersburg, FL
April
10-11 / The Jazz Corner / Hilton Head, SC
June 12
/ Callanwolde Fine Arts Center / Atlanta, GA
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