The Bottom Line
If Less is More...Nothing is Everything is beautifully pure and simple - Kate McGarry's refreshing contribution to the contemporary pool of vocal jazz projects.
Pros
- Each track is steeped in emotional honesty.
- The album features masterfully subtle performances by top instrumentalists.
- McGarry's song choices reach out to jazz and pop fans alike.
Cons
- The more pop-inflected and unabashedly sentimental tunes tend to get a little syrupy.
- Slight overuse of wind chimes (see above).
Description
- McGarry's fourth release from Palmetto Records.
- A hybridization of classic jazz and popular music styles.
- Scheduled for release on August 19, 2008.
Guide Review - Album Review: Kate McGarry - 'If Less is More...Nothing is Everything'
Perhaps the best thing about Kate McGarry, aside from her multifarious and seemingly effortless voice, is her restraint. She reserves her impassioned melismatic wails for just the right moments, resulting in emotional clarity and sincerity.On this recording, McGarry handles jazz and pop standards with equal capacity. Her reaching across the aisle represents a trend in modern jazz to incorporate influences familiar to virtually everyone. With this album there is no question of pandering. Whether it is Irving Berlin's "Let's Face the Music and Dance," or Bob Dylan's "The Times They are A-Changin," McGarry knows how to meld it to her own unique voice.
Highlights:
- "You're My Thrill" - The clearest nod to traditional jazz, McGarry's improvised lines weave in and out of the beat, and Gary Versace takes a rousing organ solo.
- "The Times They Are are A-Changin" - This rendition of a Dylan classic gives McGarry the opportunity to abandon her usually crystalline voice in exchange for electrifying gravelly moans.
- "Caminhos Cruzados" - A perfect example of "less is more," this melancholy love song by Antonio Carlos Jobim is beautifully accompanied by Gary Versace on accordion and McGarry's husband, Keith Ganz on guitar.
- "Flor de Lis" - A sprightly bossa featuring a nimble and joyous tenor solo by Donny McCaslin.
Personnel:
- Keith Ganz - guitar
- Gary Versace - organ, piano, accordion
- Donny McCaslin - tenor saxophone
- Reuben Rogers - bass
- Clarence Penn - drums
- featuring Jo Lawry and Peter Eldridge on vocals, and James Shipp on percussion.
