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Lisa Bassenge - A
Little Loving (Minor Music)
Released - August, 2006
I've made no secret of my admiration of wacky German Jazz.
No apology, either, but this isn't for everyone.
We're talking songs made famous by Hank Williams, The Carter Family,
B.B. King, and the Sugababes - like you've never heard them before, sung
by a voice that is angelic in its simplicity.
I suppose that's what's so appealing to me about most of Ms. Bassenge's
work - its simplicity. No overdubs, no tricks. This is clearly jazz -
but these aren't necessarily what you'd think of as jazz compositions.
In the record company's notes, badly translated, they talk about the
"deconstruction" of these songs.
Perhaps - it's sort of like stripping old coats of paint from a nice
antique. Ms. Bassenge's very expressive way with a lyric gives you more
time to savor the craftsmanship that went into the pieces in the first
place.
The backing group is larger than the old trio - Paul Kleber on Bass, Kai
Brückner on Guitar, Christoph Adams on Piano, Andi Haberl on Drums. All
very good.
Mostly airy and light, if you like a very European take on some very
familiar tunes, give some of these a listen at Ms. Bassenge's
"My
Space" website.
Recommended.
P.S. - Good news: Some of Ms. Bassenge's earlier work is now iTune-able.
 Three microphones (out of four)
- Doug Boynton
(04/22/07) |
