Yesterdays

by Sheila Jordan, Harvie S

Overview

Honored as an NEA Jazz Master in 2012, Sheila Jordan set the standard for singing with minimal accompaniment. Since 1988, she has made a number of recordings with the backing of bass alone, first utilizing Harvie S (aka Harvie Swartz) and later Cameron Brown. This 2012 release is a previously unissued set from 1990 with Harvie S, their fourth collaboration together to appear on disc. Although Jordan doesn't have a large voice, she has an impeccable instrument, with a potent gift for melody, rhythm, and improvising, backed by a bassist who sublimely provides an equally inventive backdrop without overshadowing her. Jordan's superb setting of "Yesterdays" takes it into new territory, adding a Native American flavor at one point. She showcases Harvie for a couple of choruses in their brilliant interpretation of "Better Than Anything." The emotional impact of her moving take of "You Don't What Love Is" is due in part to her great use of space to increase its dramatic effect, along with Harvie's arco playing in the introduction and deliberate pizzicato backing. Jordan's gift for improvising new lyrics is on display during her riotous medley of Fats Waller songs, combining a rapid-fire "Honeysuckle Rose" and comical, deliberate "Ain't Misbehavin'," with the bassist engaging in a wild avant-gardist arco solo to connect the two pieces. "Lazy Afternoon" is yet another standard that she raises to a new level with her ability to make a well-known song her very own, again adding a Native American-like chant. There's never a dull moment in this lively set, as Sheila Jordan and Harvie S captivate their audience throughout the entire evening. ~ Ken Dryden

Product Details

Release Date:	01/31/2012
Label:	Ada / Highnote Records
UPC:	0632375723422
Rank:	94241

Tracks

1. Yesterdays
2. Better Than Anything
3. The Very Thought of You
4. You Don't Know What Love Is
5. It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)
6. Fats Waller Medley: Honeysuckle Rose/Ain't Misbehavin'
7. Mood Indigo
8. Waltz for Debby (Lazy Days)
9. I Concentrate on You
10. Lazy Afternoon
11. Blue Skies
12. Fred Astaire Medley: Let's Face the Music and Dance/Cheek to Cheek/I Could Have Danced All Night

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Harvie S   Primary Artist,Bass
Sheila Jordan   Primary Artist,Vocals

Technical Credits

Bill Evans   Composer
Barney Bigard   Composer
D. Wheat   Composer
Gene Lees   Composer
Jerome Moross   Composer
Harvie S   Producer,Photo Courtesy
David Stoller   Mixing
Otto Harbach   Composer
Gene DePaul   Composer
Andy Razaf   Composer
Ray Noble   Composer
Jerome Kern   Composer
Frederick Loewe   Composer
John Latouche   Composer
Don Raye   Composer
Fats Waller   Composer
Alan Jay Lerner   Composer
Duke Ellington   Composer
Joe Fields   Executive Producer
Cole Porter   Composer
Irving Berlin   Composer
Irving Mills   Composer
Bill Loughborough   Composer
Kevin Blackler   Mastering
Peter Muller   Design
Bill Oddie   Composer,Lyricist
Kirk Silsbee   Liner Notes