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Nicolas Bearde: Invitation

By Dan Bilawsky
January 18, 2016
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A jewel always shines brightest when placed in just the right setting, and boy does this album emphasize that point. When Nicholas Bearde's soulful and affecting baritone sits atop these impeccably tailored arrangements of sterling standards, the results are absolutely stunning.

With his four previous albums, the Bay Area-based Bearde has managed to dance around labels. He's flirted heavily with the smoother side of jazz, delivered R&B-centric music, and dabbled in a variety of other settings, never staying in one musical locale for long. Until now, that is. With Invitation, Bearde commits to a straight-ahead sound from top to bottom, delivering a homerun of an album that showcases his mastery of phrasing, shading, and lyric(al) dissection. He teams with pianist Nat

Nat Adderley, Jr.

piano
b.1955

" data-original-title="" title="">Nat Adderley, Jr., who plays piano on seven of the nine tracks, co-produced the album, and arranged all of the music, ultimately bringing directness, substance, and subtlety into the mix. Their simpatico connection helps this music to soar.

The album opens on "Come Back To Me," the first of three numbers featuring guest saxophonist

Vincent Herring

saxophone, alto
b.1964

" data-original-title="" title="">Vincent Herring. It's a 4/4 swinger with waltzing bookends that gives Herring some space to shine and finds Bearde delivering the lyrics with a casual and confident approach, completely relaxed and assured in nature. Then comes "Dindi," an astounding display of musical taste, discernment, and nuance. The song seamlessly shifts between different feels—rubato expressions, lightly flowing time, earthbound swing—and Bearde completely owns the song. It's a standout on an album full of them.

Further on there's a gripping "Nature Boy" that brings Herring back into the mix, an intimate "Lush Life" that focuses in on voice and piano, a breezy trip through

Billy Eckstine

vocals
1914 - 1993

" data-original-title="" title="">Billy Eckstine's "I Want To Talk About You" with some space for

Anton Schwartz

saxophone, tenor
b.1967

" data-original-title="" title="">Anton Schwartz's tenor saxophone to shine, and a percussion-dusted trip through "Maiden Voyage" that draws attention to the infrequently encountered lyrics of that

Herbie Hancock

piano
b.1940

" data-original-title="" title="">Herbie Hancock classic. Every single one sparkles with the light of authenticity and class. If you haven't heard Bearde sing, this is the place to start. Invitation is an out and out winner that should help to elevate Nicolas Bearde into the upper echelon of the vocal jazz world.

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Track Listing

Come Back To Me; Dindi; My One And Only Love; Nature Boy; Invitation; Lush Life; I Want To Talk About You; Maiden Voyage; Save Your Love For Me.

Personnel

Nicolas Bearde

vocals

Nicolas Bearde: vocals; Nat Adderley Jr.: piano (1-6, 9); Vincent Herring: alto saxophone (1, 4, 5); Kenny Davis: bass(2-4, 9); Rocky Bryant: drums; (2-4, 9); Belden Bullock: bass (1, 5); Vincent Ector: drums (1, 5); John R. Burr: piano (7); Anton Schwartz: tenor saxophone (7); John Witala: bass (7); Akira Tana: drums (7); Peter Horvath: piano (8); Gary Brown: bass (8); Leon Joyce Jr.: drums (8); Peter Michael Excovedo: percussion (8).

Album information

Title: Invitation | Year Released: 2016 | Record Label: Right Groove Records

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Nicolas Bearde Concerts

Oct 11 Sat

Nicolas Bearde and the Charles Brown Band

The Sound Room
Oakland, CA

Oct 18 Sat

Nicolas Bearde and Bryan Dyer - Ballads and Blues

Rhythmix Cultural Works
Alameda, CA

Nov 2 Sun

Nicolas Bearde Quartet - Jarreau and Beyond

Sebastiani Theatre
Sonoma, CA

Nov 8 Sat

Nicolas Bearde Quartet - Jarreau and Beyond

SFJAZZ Center
San Francisco, CA

Nov 9 Sun

Nicolas Bearde Quartet - Jarreau And Beyond

SFJAZZ Center
San Francisco, CA

Dec 6 Sat

Nicolas Bearde 18th Annual Holiday Show

Piedmont Piano Company
Oakland, CA

Dec 13 Sat

Nicolas Bearde Quartet - Swinging into the Holidays

Piedmont Piano Company
Oakland, CA

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