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Caswell Sisters featuring Fred Hersch: Alive In The Singing Air

By C. Michael Bailey
May 15, 2013
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Track review of "Alive In The Singing Air"

Caswell Sisters featuring Fred Hersch: Alive In The Singing Air

Rachel and Sara Caswell's Alive in the Singing Air is an interesting and vibrant example of how rich a loam of invention and innovation jazz music is. The genre and its repertoire has readily endured and thrived in a variety of formats, instrumentation, source music, every degree of freedom represented over its century of existence. On the pair's recording Alive in the Singing Air the invention and innovation reveal themselves in a manifold manner. First there are the sisters, musically inclined and trained to a high shine. Vocalist Rachel sports an informed and penetrating singing style while violinist Sara who takes things well beyond St��phane Grappelli, Joe Venuti, while completely sidestepping Jean-Luc Ponty. Her command is complete.

A second part of the sisters' invention and innovation is the inclusion of iconoclastic pianist/composer

Fred Hersch

piano
b.1955

" data-original-title="" title="">Fred Hersch and lyrics from vocalist

Norma Winstone

vocals
b.1941

" data-original-title="" title="">Norma Winstone. The title piece on the CD was a composite assembled by Hersch with Winstone's lyrics that could be called "modern traditional." The composition allows Rachel Caswell to show off her scat capabilities, surrounded by her considerable interpretive talent. Sara Caswell adds organicity with her warm fiddle playing whether as accompaniment or in solo spotlight. The sum total of these elements is an engaging collection of standards performed by most accomplished artists.

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Track Listing

Song Of Life; I Get Along Without You Very Well; Stroll; Poinciana; Lucky To Be Me; I Sing For You; Bye Bye Blackbird; A Wish; Sweet Adelphi; Sweet Lorraine; Asiatic Raes.

Personnel

Caswell Sisters

Rachel Caswell: vocals; Sara Caswell; violin; Fred Hersch: piano; Jeremy Allen: bass; Bryson Kern: drums.

Album information

Title: Alive In The Singing Air | Year Released: 2013 | Record Label: Self Produced

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