By John "Urbie" Kafalas
WILLIAMSVILLE, New York, April 26, 2004 -- Barbara Levy Daniels is a Buffalo-area jazz singer whose new CD, Peel Me A Grape, features a mixture of standards and lesser-known tunes, in arrangements that give Daniels and her five sidemen ample opportunity to shine.
As a youngster in the 1950s, Daniels auditioned for ABC Paramount Records and showed sufficient promise that, on a recommendation from Ray Charles, the company signed her to a recording contract. Life intervened, however, and after making some early recordings, Daniels changed course in favor of marriage, family, and a professional career as a therapist before recording again in 1998.
Daniels sings with a lot of maturity, a touch of irony, and no small amount of wisdom.
Although Daniels spent a long time away from the recording studio, that interval wasn't wasted -- she spent the intervening years raising a family and building a successful therapy practice. "I'm a late bloomer," says Daniels, "and started attending college about 15 years after high school. I became interested in becoming a therapist when I was a special education teacher working with parents. It was my role to help parents learn new parenting skills. It was during that period that I realized I was crossing over to the counseling arena."
Daniels's practice involves a lot of work with relationships and "other problems of being human." It's no surprise, then, that the CD consists mostly of... songs about relationships! Throughout, she sings the material with a lot of maturity, a touch of irony, and no small amount of wisdom. The lyrics aren't just words on a page -- they're verses about subjects Daniels knows well.
Daniels cites Ella Fitzgerald, Joe Williams, Mel Torme, and Sheila Jordan as influences; but traces of other singers, such as Blossom Dearie and Carmen McRae, are evident as well in her work. The goal of any creative musician, however, is to develop an identifiable voice distinct from those of other artists; and whatever the influences, Daniels has developed a vocal identity of her own.
For Peel Me A Grape, Daniels assembled a great band consisting of Nick Mancini on vibes, marimba, and Brazilian percussion; Dave Wood on guitar; Dave Hertzberg on bass; Chris Michael on drums and (more) Brazilian percussion; and William Galison (about whom more later) on harmonicas.
Another song about being in love
"Lullaby of Birdland" (George Shearing) starts with a vocal chorus, followed by excellent solos by Mancini and Wood. Daniels conveys an offhanded maturity, treating the lyrics as somewhat ironic -- befitting an experienced musician-turned-therapist-turned-musician, as if to say, "We're in love -- no big deal."
"Bewitched" (Rodgers/Hart) gets a creative arrangement, a straight-8th-note rhythmic treatment with altered harmonies that catch the ear. Contrast is evident in Daniels's mature-sounding reading of a song that falls into the "co-dependent" category. As with "Lullaby," there's a lot beneath the surface of Daniels's reading of the tune. Again, Woods turns in some stellar guitar work.
"Peel Me A Grape" (Dave Frishberg) starts with a creative harmonica introduction by William Galison, before the tune settles into an accompaniment by Galison's harps (bass, I think, and standard blues harp) and Mancini's vibes. Again, this unusual treatment draws the ear in. Daniels does a great job conveying Dave Frishberg's tongue-in-cheek picture of a high-maintenance relationship. Psychologically speaking, "Peel Me A Grape" is essentially the flip side of "Bewitched" -- a co-dependent song, sung from the other side of the relationship. And as with "Bewitched," Daniels's experience in her day job informs her rendition of Frishberg's tune.
Daniels offers something different on familiar repertoire, and she adds capable renditions of less frequently performed songs.
"Do Nothing 'til You Hear From Me" (Ellington, Bob Russell) is given a medium-tempo rendition. Daniels plays creatively with the melody, making the lines sound more spoken than sung.
On "One Note Samba" (Jobim), Daniels blends delightfully with the marimba and percussion of Nick Mancini and Chris Michael. Traces of Carmen McRae are evident in Daniels's vocal.
"My Foolish Heart" (Victor Young, Ned Washington) isn't frequently heard; and it's too bad, because Daniels brings a lot to the table here. Accompanied only by vibes, Daniels's introduction recalls Blossom Dearie in phrasing and tone quality, and her reading of the tune as a whole shows a sensitive side of her vocal personality that contrasts with the irony and sophistication she displays elsewhere.
"Desafinado" (Jobim). This favorite is more often played than sung, probably because it's so difficult to sing, especially when Jobim makes fun of himself over the words "slightly out of tune," before snapping back onto pitch. Daniels proves equal to the task, however, and joined again by Galison, this time on chromatic harp, her reading of "Desafinado" conveys sincerity and sensitivity, as in "My Foolish Heart."
Harp attack!
While this CD is primarily intended to showcase Barbara Levy Daniels's vocal talents, I got a big kick -- as is probably clear -- out of William Galison's work as well. Galison's credits include everything from accompanying Sting, Carly Simon, Chaka Khan, and Eddie Gomez to recording the theme from "Sesame Street" and, more recently, demonstrating his classical chops by performing Gordon Jacob's "Suite for Harmonica and Orchestra." Equally adept on chromatic and diatonic harps, Galison deftly backs up Daniels vocals on several tunes and forms a rhythm section with vibist Mancini on others.
Getting back to the songs, on "Dream A Little Dream of Me/Dream" (Schwandt/Andree, Kahn), Daniels offers a whimsical treatment of both parts of this medley, at a medium tempo, over more excellent harp work by Galison.
"Tea for Two" (Youmans/Caesar) is another tune that's much more often played than sung. Daniels reads the verse with just vibes, before being joined by the rhythm section at the chorus. The slow-ish tempo gives Daniels space to pull and stretch the phrasing. The tune features more top-drawer guitar work by Dave Wood. Daniels's sophisticated reading of the rather, shall we say, sappy lyrics gives "Tea for Two" a lot more substance than it usually tends to have.
Peel Me A Grape is good therapy, and it costs a lot less than a fifty-minute hour!
"What A Little Moonlight Can Do" (Harry Woods) features an alternating Latin/swing treatment that gives this chestnut a different look. After an introductory vocal comes a blistering vibraphone solo by Nick Mancini, after which Daniels sings another chorus, taking the tune out with scat over a vamp figure.
"Skylark" (Carmichael) again features Daniels with Mancini on vibes. The duo give this standard a sensitive treatment to close out the CD.
Peel Me A Grape is a delightful record. Barbara Levy Daniels, with the help of some excellent young sidemen, offers something different when singing familiar repertoire, and she adds capable renditions of several less frequently performed songs as well. Having recently returned to recording after a 40-year hiatus, Daniels is quickly making up for lost time. And there's certainly plenty of room in the music world for a singer with her versatility and artistic range.
You can get the CD from CDBaby or Amazon.com, or from Daniels's own site at www.barbaralevydaniels.com. It's good therapy, and it costs a lot less than a fifty-minute hour!
Copyright © 2004 Kafalas.com, LLC
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