REVIEWS
review by Frank Rubolino
for onefinalnote.com
The duet presentation by vocalist Marguerite Juenemann and pianist Art Lande is subtitled In the Spirit of Fats Waller, and indeed, half of the tunes were composed by the sensational stride pianist and the other half are in the tradition of the man who set the jazz world on its ear in the first half of the 20th century. Waller is also credited with nudging the music into the modern jazz era, and although he has been dead for nearly 60 years, his influences are widespread and still felt today.
Juenemann is a natural jazz singer, and she adeptly scoops up the music of Waller and runs at full speed with it. She is an ambitious scatter who fills in the improvised segments with her scurrying style and then puts a unique twist on the melody lines. Her voice has a sensuous quality, and on the suggestive lyrics of tunes such as Harry Warren and Al Dubin's "Sweet and Slow," she melts butter with her earthy phrasing. Juenemann is at her coquettish best, however, when she is scampering through the upbeat lyrics of Waller and the other composers who wrote in his style. She exudes a mellow quality and skates gracefully through the program while giving an interpretive reading of each and every song.
Art Lande is a true delight in this situation. He has conclusively documented his talent to handle multiple jazz scenarios over the years from freely improvised material to romantic ballads, so he just naturally eases into the role required for Waller's music. Lande has an inspiring touch on the keys. He turns the tunes inside out on his extensive solo opportunities, and while he is accompanying Juenemann, he is constructing fully inventive backgrounds even though the stride format has its limitations. It does not prevent Lande from being totally expressive. He is all over the keyboard stamping his inimitable style on the date, and the results are heartwarming.
Many of the Waller classics are here, including "Honeysuckle Rose," "Jitterbug Waltz," "Ain't Misbehavin'," and my favorite "The Joint is Jumpin'." In the hands of Juenemann and Lande, they all glow with the sustaining power needed to transport them into a new century. The vocalist and pianist not only give a history lesson on the development of jazz, they add the spark that makes the recording highly entertaining in this day and age.
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