|
The Way I Am
Mark's debut recording takes a fresh look at classics of the great American songbook.
The Way I Am is produced by BBC Jazz Award Winner Anita Wardell and features some of Britain's finest instrumentalists including Robin Aspland, Barry Green, Jeremy Brown, Steve Brown and Tristan Mailliot.
"Some of the arrangements are fairly traditional but on others we tried to mix things up a little and put the tunes into contexts which people might not expect," says Mark.
Day In Day Out acquires an unusual down beat vibe with Jeremy Brown's bass groove played on a pedal for much of the tune.
Elsewhere, the opening of The Surrey With The Fringe On Top has an almost elegiac quality and It's Only A Paper Moon (played in 5/4) sounds much darker than usual.
Even the more straight-ahead arrangements receive some unusual touches such as the Anita Wardell-penned shout chorus on I'll Take Romance and unusual song choices - Randy Newman's I Don't Want To Hear It Anymore and Willie Dixon's Little Red Rooster - sit surprisingly well alongside the more conventional jazz singer's repertoire.
See the reviews page for what the jazz world is saying about The Way I Am.
|
