Christy Baron: I Thought About You
This is a reissue of a 1996 album by singer (and actress) Christy Baron (b. 1963, Munhall, Penn) that mixes songbook and jazz standards with covers of the Beatles, Stevie Wonder and others. She has an expressive sense and range that helps keep the ear tuned into all she does, even on an album that is perhaps over-endowed with ballads and ballad treatments of originally quicker pieces. In fact, given Baron’s sylph-like voice and the diffident tempos one could imagine this is how Joni Mitchell might have sounded if she’d dedicated all her time to jazz.
Perhaps the track that shows her at her best is the opener, which brings new, swinging life and character to Lennon & McCartney’s Got To Get You Into My Life (an ode to pot, according to McCartney, so very jazz…). In a clever twist on an album that features three Stevie Wonder tunes the harmonica gets pride of place on a non-Wonder tune, Over The Rainbow.
Whatever happened to this rather fine singer? Wikipedia tells us that on Broadway, she portrayed Fantine in Les Miserables for six years and also worked with David Sanborn, Natalie Cole, Carly Simon, and Dr. John. In any event, this recording must stand as one of her best endeavours and is well worth sampling on this re-entry into the catalogue, coming with the usual excellent Chesky sound.
Discography
Got To Get You Into My Life; Round Midnight; Knocks Me Off My Feet; Ain’t No Sunshine; Night And Day; Misty; Columbus; Body And Soul; Summer Soft; Somewhere Over The Rainbow; I Thought About You; If It’s Magic (53.55)
Baron (v); William Galison (hca); George Young (s); Clifford Korman (p); David Finck (b); Payton Crossley (d). St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, New York City, 27-30 August 1996.
Chesky Records JD 152
Steve Berndt: Heart Of Hearts
Canadian triple-threat Steve Berndt (he’s a vocalist, composer/lyricist and trombonist) here presents eight of his own tunes and three covers, styled as swing or Latin flavoured pieces. The covers are I Saw The Light (Todd Rundgren), Color My World (James Pankow) and Baby I Love Your Way (Peter Frampton). The set features a solid crew of Ottawa players whom Berndt is happy to showcase, with very effective solos sprinkled throughout.
Berndt himself has a smooth, tuneful tenor voice with excellent control and expression. His songs and lyrics work well in the mainstream idiom, and his trombone solos are strong and convincing. While nothing here sets out a new paradigm, one can imagine passing a happy hour with such a band in a club or festival setting. By the way, Blue Skies On Mars is the eponymous theme for a January 2026 film that won Best Original Song at the International Independent Film Awards in Los Angeles.
Discography
All Over Again; Heart Of Hearts; The Moment; Plus Size Love; I Saw The Light; Hold Me Tight; Triplets A Gogo; Long Lost Love Affair; Baby I Love Your Way; Color My World; Blue Skies On Mars (52.00)
Berndt (v, tb); Fred Paci, Ed Lister (t); Peter Cancura, Brian Asselin (ts); David Renaud (s); Steve Boudreau, Miguel De Armas, J.P. Allain (p); John Steele (p, g); Alex Moxon (g); Don Cummings (org); Ken Kanwisher (b); Michel Delage, Dave Pontello (d); Michel Medrano Brindis (pc). Gigspace, Ontario, Ottawa. No dates specified.
Independent
Paul Colombo Group: Mabrouka
Paul Colombo is a Pennsylvania-based guitarist and this is his group’s second release, featuring nine originals and a cover of Eleanor Rigby. Colombo says the album explores “swing/bebop, funk, blues, fusion, ballads, African rhythms and percussion, free jazz, and New Orleans second line”. It opens with the conventionally swinging, midtempo Homestyle. That has a fairly conventional song form, but the group branch out with the title track, a modal groover with a light Latin-rock beat. Rigby gets a lilting Latin treatment in three in which the drums don’t always sound entirely comfortable, with solos from the leader’s mellow guitar, from electric piano and Jaco-ish fretless bass.
Among the intriguing titles on the album are JB and Jazz. Judging by its smooth modal form JB is not inspired by fellow axeman Jeff Beck. To name a track Jazz on a jazz album is provocative and brave. What can it mean to say? That it is the epitome of the genre or perhaps a satirical commentary? In the event it begins as a fourthy modal piece over conversational, rock-style drums before breaking down into pointillistic reverie (the free-jazz bit?). We might have expected a compendium of jazz style, but no other styles follow. For those, you might try the bluesy organ funk of Mr. Blues or the NO shuffle of Bellecastle Blues. This would be a good band to encounter in your local pub or club. By the way, we’re told keyboardist Ron Thomas played on the 1972 album Pat Martino Live!
Discography
Homestyle; Mabrouka; Eleanor Rigby; Ali; JB; Dancing; Jazz; Mr. Blues; Louie; Bellecastle Blues (49.23)
Colombo (g); Ron Thomas (kyb); Andy Alonso (elb); Steve Meashy (b); Chris Loser (d, pc); Tom Strohman (f); Andy Roberts (org). MD Recording Studio, Norton, PA. 2023-24.
Independent
