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Aubrey Johnson & Randy Ingram: Play Favorites

By Jerome Wilson
February 17, 2023
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Aubrey Johnson & Randy Ingram: Play Favorites

At its best, the pairing of piano and voice can create special chemistry, as in the cases of

Ran Blake

piano
b.1935

" data-original-title="" title="">Ran Blake and

Dominique Eade

vocals
b.1958

" data-original-title="" title="">Dominique Eade or

Bill Evans

piano
1929 - 1980

" data-original-title="" title="">Bill Evans and

Tony Bennett

vocals
1926 - 2023

" data-original-title="" title="">Tony Bennett. The combination of

Randy Ingram

piano
b.1978

" data-original-title="" title="">Randy Ingram's piano and

" data-original-title="" title="">Aubrey Johnson's voice is in the same class on this album. The two musicians exude a sense of familiarity and trust as they play together, and their sounds mesh effortlessly. Their song selection covers modern pop, the Great American Songbook and jazz standards and Brazilian music, all of it played with a special glow. Johnson sings in an expressive soprano and Ingram consistently plays off her sound with sensitivity and playfulness.

On "If Ever I Would Leave You" Johnson's high-pitched voice glides easily over a charged rhumba rhythm. She makes Billie Eilish's "My Future" into a torch song, singing it in a lightly bruised voice as Ingram delicately supports her.

Joni Mitchell

vocals
b.1943

" data-original-title="" title="">Joni Mitchell's "Conversation" becomes joyous here. Johnson's swooping dynamics come close to the writer's own singing voice as Ingram romps in accompaniment. On the Brazilian songs Johnson and Ingram play—Antonio Carlos Jobim's "Olha Maria" and

Toninho Horta

guitar

" data-original-title="" title="">Toninho Horta's "Bons Amigos"—their sound becomes more intimate. The piano work is a bit more elaborate and a soft yearning appears in Johnson's voice.

On "Born To Be Blue" Johnson's voice has a haunting intimacy that matches up well with Ingram's worldly piano, even when she stretches into soaring high notes at the end. A version of Jimmy Webb's "Didn't We," performed with a sense of grand drama, has a similar climax. The two musicians even try some straight jazz swinging on "I'll Remember April." Johnson sings the lyric with saucy energy as Ingram rolls through the melody. Then the two go off into

Lennie Tristano

piano
1919 - 1978

" data-original-title="" title="">Lennie Tristano's variation on the song, "April," Johnson's breezy scatting wedded tightly to Ingram's roller coaster piano line.

Aubrey Johnson and Randy Ingram each have successful musical careers on their own, but their work together on this album is formidable. The gauzy warmth of Johnson's voice and the bright sparkle of Ingram's piano make a wonderful team.

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Track Listing

My Future; If Ever I Would Leave You; Prelude; If I Should Lose You; Conversation; Olha Maria; Didn't We; Chovendo Na Rosetra; Quem E Voce (Close to Home); I'll Remember April/April; Born to Be Blue; Bons Amigos; My Ideal.

Personnel

Aubrey Johnson

vocals

Randy Ingram

piano

Album information

Title: Play Favorites | Year Released: 2022 | Record Label: Sunnyside Records

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