Jazz
This 1996 album was singer Andy Bey's first new release in 22 years. After an initial burst of recordings in the early '50s, Bey continued on into the '60s before his work became much sparser. In the '80s, he found work as Horace Silver's vocalist, at which time he settled in Austria, teaching singing.
BALLADS, BLUES & BEY is a bracing and exciting return, one that was released when Bey was living and performing in New York City. His stirring four-octave range dances in and around his the breezy chordal foundations that he builds on the piano. He explores a repertoire that has always been central to his artistry: songs by Gershwin, Porter, Ellington, Kern, and other from the era of the lightly swinging jazzballad. His eight-minute-plus version of "You'd be so Nice to Come Home To" is a show-stopping tour-de-force. |
