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Patricia
Barber- Nightclub
September
26, 2000
Original Release Date: September 26, 2000
Patricia
Barber/Piano & Vocals, Charlie Hunter/Guitar, Michael
Arnopol/Bass(5,9,10), Marc Johnson/Bass(1,2,3,7,8),
Adam Cruz/Drums(4,5,6,9,10,11), Adam Nussbaum/Drums(1,2,3,7,8)
1. Bye Bye Blackbird 
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2. Invitation
3. Yesterdays
4. Just For A Thrill
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5. You Don't Know Me
6. Alfie
7. Autumn Leaves
8. Summer Samba
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9. All Or Nothing At All
10. So In Love
11. Man & A Woman, A
12. I Fall In Love Too Easily
Review
More and more I have come to appreciate female jazz
vocals with a caberet touch, like Diana Krall.
If done well, you could get something of an effect of
Patricia Barber, a silent whispering that dashes through
the dark and awakens a sleepy nightingale. Barber is
a Chicago-born classical trained pianist, now deeply
emerged in jazz vocal singing. "Nightclub"
is her most satisfying album to date. For one thing,
Barber has completely found her style. As the title
suggests, Barber sucessfully recreates a lush nightclub
atmosphere for us to sit back and relax with a lovely
Bordeaux or Champagne in our hand. The recording is
superb, with thanks to the immaculate Jim Anderson,
engineering for the classic Tiger Okoshi album
"Color of Soil."
Barber's
piano playing is just expressive as her throaty voice.
Demonstrated ostentatiously in a piano solo in "Bye
Bye Blackbird," I must admit that hers is the most
intriguing version of the song I have heard since the
Miles Davis era. Also, in songs like "Just for
a Thrill" and "Alfie," Barber shows us
how to use her voice in the most subtle way possible
yet still sounding good. Though partially disagreeing
with some of the song choices she makes, the material
ranges a wide spectrum, from Bossa Nova to ballad, with
two Ray Charles tribute and homage to French
Cinema ("A Man and a Woman"). The best song
in the album is "Summer Samba." Barber's unique
performance (with the help of Bill Evans'' veteran bassist
Marc Johnson) outshines the Astrud Gilberto original
and barely equalizes the recent Bebel
Gilberto remake, making Barber's a distinguished
accomplishment. Again, the only drawback is the mundane
selection of the songs, which could get boring after
awhile.
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