Connie Evingson Sings The Beatles

Let It Be Jazz

Summit Records ñ DCD 1021

Connie Evington, vocals; Mary Louise Knutson, piano and Fender Rhodes; a mixed line-up of musicians on all tracks.

Ten out of ten for the recording engineer who has made brilliant sound possible for even my battered computer speakers. And just as many top marks for the lady in question. Come to think of it, there is not much wrong with this album at all. Some of the material is unlikely for a Jazz treatment, but then Connie has such a hip approach that she gives a groove where a groove would have otherwise seemed unlikely. She thankfully makes "Blackbird" unrecognizable in the strictest sense of the word, and catch the piano rippling and filling in the background. Pianist Mary Louise Knutson contributes mightily to the success of this CD with her consistently swinging and sensitive backing. Nice, very nice! Some of the Beatles music can be compared to British cuisine, the basics are there but one requires a good cook (usually from somewhere other than the British Isles) to make it happen. "Fixing A Hole" gets a laid-back, finger-snapping Reggae beat. "For No One" changes the mood to romance, and the number is transformed into nightclub material. "Oh Darling" could be a country and western classic, and Knutson rises beautifully on piano. As unlikely as it may seem "When I'm 64" (I preferred version 2) displays the singer at her very best, musically. Evington phrases with a snap and a sense of joy as she pulls out the best that the number has to offer. Nice CD. Good singing. Great musicians.

by Lawrence Brazier