Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Jane Stuart: Don't Look Back

Jane Stuart: Don't Look Back

By Dan Bilawsky
March 1, 2011
View read count

Jane Stuart is as complete a jazz singer as they come. With the timing of a tap dancer, the emotive responsiveness of a stage performer, a voice for the ages, and the experience to put it all together into one unified whole, Stuart deserves more exposure than she currently gets. To her credit, Stuart is able to bring all of these different elements into her performances due, in large part, to her vast experience in every one of these areas.

Her debut, I'm Beginning To See The Light (Self Produced, 2007), was a standards-based affair that touched on well-worn pieces from

Duke Ellington

piano
1899 - 1974

" data-original-title="" title="">Duke Ellington to "Angel Eyes," but Stuart dug a bit deeper to find some of the material for Don't Look Back. At the suggestion of guitarist

Dave Stryker

guitar
b.1957

" data-original-title="" title="">Dave Stryker, Stuart sought out some recordings of singer

Irene Kral

vocals
1932 - 1978

" data-original-title="" title="">Irene Kral, which helped Stuart settle on some seldom-played pieces like

Cole Porter

composer / conductor
1891 - 1964

" data-original-title="" title="">Cole Porter's "Experiment" and

Dave Frishberg

piano
1933 - 2021

" data-original-title="" title="">Dave Frishberg's "Wheelers And Dealers."

While Stuart retains the core of the band from her debut, which included prime collaborator, pianist

Rave Tesar

piano

" data-original-title="" title="">Rave Tesar, husband/drummer Rick De Kovessey, tenor saxophonist Frank Elmo, and bassists

Kermit Driscoll

bass
b.1956

" data-original-title="" title="">Kermit Driscoll and

Sue Williams

bass

" data-original-title="" title="">Sue Williams, she ups the ante here with the addition of Stryker and saxophonist

Dick Oatts

saxophone, alto
b.1953

" data-original-title="" title="">Dick Oatts, a

Vanguard Jazz Orchestra

band / ensemble / orchestra

" data-original-title="" title="">Vanguard Jazz Orchestra staple for over three decades. Stryker takes on multiple roles, adding some bluesy intrusions and a killer solo to Stuart's chilled out take on

The Beatles

band / ensemble / orchestra

" data-original-title="" title="">The Beatles' "Eleanor Rigby," providing some sensitive accompaniment during a duo reading of "You Are There." Oatts appears, most often, as soloist par excellence, but he's presented in a variety of manners: duking it out with Stuart, as saxophone and scat singing trade back and forth on "Who Will Buy?"; delivering some fluttery and engaging flute work on "Wheelers And Dealers"; providing saxophone obbligato-of-sorts at the outset of "Experiment"; and left to his own swinging devices on "Summertime."

While Stuart provides plenty of room for her soloists to take off, she still remains the star of her own show: delivering solid swing on "I Just Found Out About Love"; showing spunk and sass with "Wheelers And Dealers"; even managing to successfully turn some rarely covered

Stevie Wonder

vocals
b.1950

" data-original-title="" title="">Stevie Wonder into a Brazilian carnival concoction. Of the twelve pieces here, the title track is the only selection that really lacks spark, veering too closely to easy listening, but that's easily overlooked in the grand scheme of things. In other places, she crafts tender melodies with the utmost care ("You Are There") and adds just the right amount of steam to the oft-tackled "Summertime." With an album like Don't Look Back under her belt, vocalist Jane Stuart can surely look forward to more, well-deserved attention in the future.

Learn more about our star rating system

Track Listing

I Just Found Out About Love; Experiment; Eleanor Rigby; Don't Look Back; Bird Of Beauty; Let It Come To You; Who Will Buy; Wheelers And Dealers; You Are There; Summertime; I'll Follow The Sun; I Didn't Know What Time It Was.

Personnel

Jane Stuart

vocals

Jane Stuart: vocals; Rave Tesar: keyboards, background vocals; Rick De Kovessey: drums, background vocals; Sue Williams: bass (1, 2, 7, 8, 10, 12); Kermit Driscoll: bass (3-6, 11); Emedin Rivera: percussion, whistles; Dave Stryker: guitar; Dick Oatts: alto sax, flute; Frank Elmo: tenor sax; Orlando Quinones: background vocals; Paige Sandusky: background vocals.

Album information

Title: Don't Look Back | Year Released: 2011 | Record Label: Self Produced

PREVIOUS / NEXT

Nicholas Payton: Boston, February 24...
< Previous

Take Five With Mike Lee
Next >

Support All About Jazz

All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.