Many people will undoubtedly think that If I Were Your Woman is an attention-grabbing and curious title for an album by a male singer, but vocalist, songwriter, arranger, and producer Sidney Jacobs is an exciting performer who likes to experiment and is not afraid to take chances. On If I Were Your Woman, he lends his rich, baritone voice to straight-ahead and R&B-inflected jazz tunes that are usually sung by or identified with women. The songs are a daring mix of standards, Jacobs’ originals, and pop/R&B songs. IF If I Were Your Woman is Jacobs’ second album. It follows First Man, which rose to 34 on the JazzWeek chart and received many accolades, including an honorable mention by Ted Gioia as one of the best CDs of 2017. The concept for If I Were Your Woman grew from one of Jacobs’ live performances when he sang “I Feel Pretty” just for fun. The audience loved it and he decided to record a whole album that shines a new light on female-oriented songs. As he began exploring this theme, Jacobs says, “I wanted to create a different listening experience and find songs that had personal relevance to me and songs that marked some very specific times in my life.” As a composer and arranger, Jacobs’ music has a syncopated, polyrhythmic feel underlying richly constructed harmonies. There is a hint of gospel, classical, soul, folk, and R&B in his music and it is cohesive and seamless. As a singer, Jacobs has fluid control of dynamics and phrasing, and he finds the emotional center every time. Although it can seem a bit surprising at first, the entire album hangs together beautifully with Jacobs’ smart interpretations and musical sensibilities. It takes an artist with the sense of daring, emotional maturity, and chops of Sidney Jacobs to pull it off so convincingly.
Drummer Jimmy Branly has been so busy touring with and playing on albums for other A-list jazz artists that he has put his own career as a leader on the back burner. Branly has now recorded as well as engineered The Meeting, an auspicious trio date that showcases not only Branly’s adventurous and sensitive playing, but his predilection for melding World music and jazz. The performances on the album are rhythmically and harmonically sophisticated, and the music is thoroughly engaging. Branly, who hails from Cuba, has been living in Los Angeles since 1998. He had been performing with Gonzalo Rubalcaba’s group for several years when he got a chance to tour North America with a band made up of American and Cuban musicians. Once he was here, he decided not to return home. The list of artists he has performed with is extensive. It includes Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Chucho Valdez, Flora Purim, Airto Moreira, Michael Nesmith, Strunz and Farah, Celia Cruz, Sheila E, Jimmy Haslip, Russell Ferrante, , Bob Sheppard, Celia Cruz, Luis Conte, Ronnie Foster, Justo Almario, Otmaro Ruiz, Oscar Hernandez, Brandon Fields, Alex Acuña, Bob James, David Garfield, Carol Welsman, Doc Severinsen, Don Grusin, Tom Scott, Keiko Matsui, Colin Hay and Lyle Mays, among many others. Although Branly is an expert in Cuban rhythms, he cites the spaciousness and the influence of World music from ECM -Jazz as a major influence. Indeed, the music on The Meeting is influenced by World music, particularly Cuban styles, but performed with a straight-ahead jazz feel and sound. It is mostly played in either 4/4 or 6/8 with the melody determining where the accents fall, creating the illusion of unusual rhythms. The album features original music by all three band members as well as some of Branly’s favorite jazz standards. Jimmy Branly’s music comes from the heart. He has to feel the essence of a tune to know how to approach it. He uses subtle dynamics to generate energy rather than playing loud and fast and showing off his considerable chops. He wants the audience to be able to tap their feet and enjoy the melody. The Meeting is an eminently satisfying entree into Branly’s personal aesthetic.
The San Gabriel 7 is a progressive funk band presenting all original music. A prolific and inventive recording ensemble, the band’s 11th and newest album, Under The Stars, features Danish singing sensation SINNE EEG. SG7 features tight horns, a first-rate rhythm section and exciting arrangements. Jazz journalist Scott Yanow says, “Throughout its existence, the San Gabriel 7 has always been funky, versatile, and creative. Sometimes the group’s ensembles have sounded a bit like a big band, or perhaps a little like Tower of Power, a rock group or bop septet. In all cases, the San Gabriel 7’s musical personality shines through.” Featured vocalist Sinne Eeg is considered the preeminent jazz vocalist in Scandinavia. She is not only a brilliant vocalist, she is also a great songwriter and the recipient of numerous awards. The compositions on this album reflect Eeg’s out-of-the-box writing style. “Much of my composing is melody driven. I might write something with a bar missing or an extra bar. I just like to keep in the flow of the melody. A song may wind up with a tricky mixed meter, but it usually makes sense because the melody makes sense.” The San Gabriel 7 attracts so many talented guest artists because they are a high energy band of top-notch players. Presenting albums with the music chosen or written by vocalists is certainly rare, if not unique in the jazz world, but the results are eminently alluring. And any album featuring the singing and writing of the multi-talented Sinne Eeg is bound to be an eleven on a scale of one-to-ten.
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