1 Nature Boy
2 Hi - Fly
3 You Must Believe in Spring
6 The Best is Yet to Come
9 Once Upon a Summertime
10 Mood to Mood
11 Too Young to Go Steady
Andy Panayi - Flute and Alto Flute
Graham Harvey – piano
Dave Chamberlain – double bass
Matt Skelton – drums
Derek Nash – saxophone
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Review by Paul J. Youngman - KJA Advocate for WWW.VINILEMANIA.NET
Alison Dewar is a vocalist who is based in the United Kingdom, she has released her debut album Natural, the recording is a diverse mix of material performed in a smooth jazz style. Ms. Dewar has a distinct voice, she sings in a style that is almost in a lyrical spoken word manner. The accompaniment is polished and brings out the best in Ms. Dewar’s vocalizing, especially the flute playing of Andy Panayi and the piano playing of Graham Harvey.
The highlight tune of the recording “Desafinado” is the classic Brazilian Bossa Nova song composed by Jobim, the song is performed in Portuguese from beginning to end and Alison Dewar sounds to be at her most comfortable singing in this particular style. There is an excellent flute break by Mr. Panayi that carries on to fade the song out most naturally.
There is an upbeat version of “Hi-Fly” a Randy Weston song with lyrics by Jon Hendricks. There is a section in the song where the band is given some latitude and they cook, a swinging feel develops and builds into a free spirited piano led romp through about thirty-two bars to a fine bass solo by Dave Chamberlain.
Ms. Dewar can play the part of an American jazz vocalist as she displays in a bluesy rendition of Black Velvet. The saxophone playing of Derek Nash is a nice complimentary accessory that adds the finishing touch to this song. There are other songs that come off sounding appealing, such as a wonderful duet with bassist Dave Chamberlain on “The Best Is Yet To Come,” both bassist and vocalist have a great feel for this song and the arrangement thus providing an outstanding performance.
One other tune that deserves mention is “Once Upon A Summertime,” a very beautiful rendition of the Michel Legrand composition. The rhythm section of Harvey, Chamberlain and Skelton do a marvellous job of creating the perfect ambiance and Ms. Dewar sings a sweet English jazz rendition.
