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Community Media Center
2006-01-31
Only the music gurus at WYCE can find stuff like this: Swiss jazz. Young singer/arranger Beat Kaestli (born and raised in Switzerland, but now a NYC crooner) is in the Harry Connick, Jr. mode and while we don’t need even more versions of “Autumn Leaves” (what is up with everyone covering that chestnut over the last year?), this kid’s strength is in his arrangements and his instrumental compadres.I think the disc gets better in the second half, with the instrumentation carrying cuts #7-#10. Listen especially to the trumpet in “So in Love,” the bass and sax in “Tenderly” and the organ in the interesting set-closer “I (Who Have Nothing)” * who remembers Tom Jones singing that on Top 40 radio? It is also different to hear a male lead on Gershwin’s “Summertime.” If this youngster wants to make it, my advice is to keep up the good work on the arrangements and choose less predictable numbers; that’s what makes the second half of this CD more intriguing.
1/06 MJVD Jazz-Contemporary (vocal)
LAVAY SMITH & HER RED HOT SKILLET LICKERS
MISS SMITH TO YOU
NOAH BAERMAN, WAYNE ESCOFFERY, AMANDA MONACO, VINNIE SPERRAZZA, HENRY LUGO
Playdate
ARJUN
Pieces
River Rogues Jazz Band
From Fats to Satch
JOE HENRY
Civilians
Jeff Richman
Sizzle
The opinions expressed in these reviews are those of the individual volunteers that submitted the article and do not necessarily reflect the views of WYCE or GRCMC; nor its staff, donors, or affiliates.