Lisa Rich - highwire

[GA Russell]

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Artist Title Time           Lisa Rich Highwire The Aerialist (for Philippe Petit) 02:58       Lisa Rich Contessa 05:43       Lisa Rich Celeste/ Prelude to a Kiss 04:27       Lisa Rich Bud Powel 03:01       Lisa Rich Stardancer 03:16       Lisa Rich Lonely Woman 05:54       Lisa Rich Songbird 03:53       Lisa Rich The Jinn 02:14       Lisa Rich We'll Be Together Again 05:20       Lisa Rich The Silence of a Candle 04:50       Lisa Rich "Highwire" Impacting: August 20 2019 Format(s): Jazz   “You will find excellence on many levels. Pitch, tone, improvisation song selection and arrangement-sheer talent, too” Mark Murphy   “Lisa’s voice is a great instrument” Steve Khun   “… the complaint has often been lodged that no young jazz singers are coming up to take over from the Fitzgeralds and Vaughans. Every once in awhile a singer such as Lisa Rich will come along and give the lie to this theory." Leonard Feather Los Angeles Times   “Lisa’s voice is strong, elastic, and capable of conveying a wide range of emotions” W. Royal Stokes   Lisa Rich was one of the most promising jazz singers of the 1980s. Blessed with a very attractive voice, she performed in a wide variety of often-prestigious settings during a 15 year period. She made her recording debut with her album Listen Here in 1983, recorded Touch Of The Rare with Clare Fischer in 1985, performed at a series of groundbreaking concerts in China (the first jazz events in that country since 1949), and also sang in India in 1990. Unfortunately, bad health forced her to stop performing altogether in the early 1990s so she opened up a music studio and has worked as a teacher ever since. She hopes to make a comeback soon.              In 1987, Ms. Rich recorded her third album which she recently remixed and is releasing for the first time. She had made the acquaintance of Chick Corea who gave her several of his songs, none of which had been sung before and only one of which (“Bud Powell”) has since become well known. With sensitive support provided by pianist Marc Copland (David Kane takes his place on two numbers), bassist Drew Gress and drummer Michael Smith, Lisa Rich interprets five Chick Corea songs, two by Ralph Towner, one apiece by Duke Ellington, Ornette Coleman, and Loonis McGlohon, and the standard “We’ll Be Together Again.” Although the material is often challenging with some wide interval jumps (the Corea and Towner pieces were not originally meant to feature a singer), Rich sounds relaxed throughout, and her vocal flights are effortless and natural.             The opener, Corea’s “High Wire The Aerialist,” was not recorded by anyone else until the composer with singer Chaka Khan documented it in 2009, 32 years after this version. The beauty of Lisa Rich’s voice and the ease in which she sings the intervals are very much in evidence. Next up is Corea’s “Contessa,” an obscure jazz waltz that the pianist never recorded, and a straightforward ballad medley of Towner’s “Celeste” (with words by Norma Winstone) and Ellington’s “Prelude To A Kiss.” “Bud Powell” is one of Corea’s happier melodies and this is it's first and possibly only vocal recording. Lisa takes the song for a joyful and swinging ride. “Stardancer,” which was also receiving its recording debut, is an adventurous jazz waltz with the singer hitting each note perfectly.             Most of the second half of the program is comprised of slow ballads (other than Corea’s brief and energetic “The Jinn”), including out-of-tempo duets with pianist Kane on a quietly emotional version of Ornette Coleman’s “Lonely Woman” and Copland on Towner’s “The Silence Of A Candle.” McGlohon’s “Songbird” features classic ballad singing and the vocalist really digs into each word during a tasteful “Well Be Together Again.”             Although it was recorded 32 years ago, the performances on High Wire are timeless and still sound fresh. This is arguably Lisa Rich’s finest recording and is easily recommended. - Scott Yanow, The Los Angeles Jazz Record August 2019

Edited August 20, 2019 by GA Russell

[mr jazz]

We used to see her quite a bit way back in the day and have a signed copy of Listen Here somewhere; she introduced me to the music Clare Fischer. I follow her on FB and she said she will be performing at clubs again. I will look forward to seeing her!

Edited August 21, 2019 by mr jazz