It may be that this broadcast finally celebrated the delicious Miss Winstone’s coming-of-age as a jazz vocalist of international stature. Minor flaws, noted earlier in this remarkable singer’s career, seemed to have been ironed out. Indeed, the four songs she shaped this night are things of such lasting beauty and vitality that it is now hard to think of another contemporary lady singer who could better them. Karin Krog? Perhaps. Sheila Jordan? Probably – but she’s inactive. And our own Cleo is operating on too broad a musical front nowadays to spare the time to challenge.
Although only four songs were broadcast, Miss Winstone covered such a wide emotional gamut that an apparently fulsome verdict is quite justified. Languid mysticism was the forte on the opening Solitude. It reflected much of the graceful control she brought to Alan Cohen’s Black, Brown & Beige recording of 1972 and places her firmly in the line of jazz singers stretching back to the unsung Ivie Anderson. The abandoned gaiety of No More Blues was a matchless exercise in diction and tonal control at uptempo, mixing improvised lines with arranged parts, such as the thrilling line she shared with John Taylor’s electric piano, cunningly inserted just after the start of the former’s solo.
Just as magnetic, but in stark contrast, was the wistful, heart-rending fashioning of I Loves You, Porgy, which preceded that final gallop. It was a beautifully poised performance, deceptively simple, yet infused with musicianly art. Johnny Mercer’s Out Of This World was suitably imbued with crafty – and beguiling – vocal gymnastics, note-bending improvisation and rhythmic tension.
The overall impression is that Miss Winstone is no innovator: she works too firmly (but originally) within the contemporary framework for vocalists established by the great Sheila Jordan. But Norma’s tonal versatility, technique, control, emotional involvement and sheer stylishness are such that she performs at the highest level. The Phil Lee Quartet – Lee (guitar), Taylor (piano & electric piano), Ron Mathewson (bass) and Tony Levin (drums) – accompanied her knowingly but a voice of such artistic quality should be placed against as wide a variety of textural backdrops as possible. Record producers, please note.
