AMG EXPERT REVIEW: Former Rare Silk member Marguerite Juenemann has embarked upon a career as a soloist, and this CD is the first product of that happening. A high-energy vocalist who is as comfortable using her voice as an instrument through a variety of wordless vocalizing techniques as she is with the lyrics, she makes each tune an adventure in creative jazz singing. The thrust of this album is established right from the start with a whirling version of "A Night in Tunisia," as Juenemann gives the listener an exciting ride on a scatting roller coaster. Horace Silver's normally funky "Señor Blues" is reinvented as progressive jazz, and features Rasul Saddik with lengthy solos on both trumpet and flügelhorn that complement another wordless vocalizing escapade. But this singer is not just a scatter, as she so aptly demonstrates on "Whisper Not," a tune amply suited to her deep, full-throated voice. She shows off her vocalese dexterity on a chorus of this Benny Golson classic. Juenemann's willingness to take chances to present music as she hears it comes through on the rarely heard Oscar Pettiford tune "Laverne Walk." Here she engages with Ben Street's bass, melding so well with the big instrument that it's hard to separate the two. Juenemann is also at home with modern blues in a passionate rendering of "Yearning," which spotlights the trombone of Tim Sessions. Juenemann has discovered the secret of merging the perils of creative jazz singing with just the right amount of straight-ahead jazz, as on an imaginative rendition of "'Tis Autumn." The outcome is a CD that offers modern jazz without distortion or dissonance, allowing listeners to get immersed in the music.

-Dave Nathan


The Tunes

* A Night in Tunisia *	* 'Tis Autumn *
Whisper Not	Well You Needn't
* Love Dance *	Yearning
A Flower is a Lovesome Thing	* Laverne Walk *
Senor Blues
* Click on a RED title for a short mp3 from the CD *

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