Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Anne Burnell: This Could Be The Start of Something Big

Anne Burnell: This Could Be The Start of Something Big

By Richard J Salvucci
June 3, 2025
View read count

Anne Burnell: This Could Be The Start of Something Big

This could be the Start of Something is a pleasant recording. It is a joint work by a pair of well-known Chicago cabaret singers,

Anne Burnell

vocals

" data-original-title="" title="">Anne Burnell and

" data-original-title="" title="">Mark Burnell. They are hardly novices, so the production is professional in every way. They are willing to take some risks as well. They handle "Joy Spring," a version of which was wonderfully done by

The Manhattan Transfer

vocals

" data-original-title="" title="">The Manhattan Transfer with

Dizzy Gillespie

trumpet
1917 - 1993

" data-original-title="" title="">Dizzy Gillespie on Vocalese (Atlantic Records, 1985). Experienced singers will know the Transfer's version, which makes comparisons inevitable. On "Sir Duke," as close to a canonical jazz-rock tune as you can find, Anne and Mark Burnell put put their own stamp on things, which is quite distinctive. Is there any enterprising singer who will not take a crack at Steve Allen's symbolic "The Could Be The Start of Something " (1958) a tune that has launched a lot of illustrious careers from South Philly, then West? And they finish with the true road musician's anthem,

Dave Frishberg

piano
1933 - 2021

" data-original-title="" title="">Dave Frishberg's ironic "Let's Eat Home" (1990).

Throughout,

Jim Widlowski

drums

" data-original-title="" title="">Jim Widlowski,

Pat Mallinger

saxophone
b.1964

" data-original-title="" title="">Pat Mallinger and

Fareed Haque

guitar
b.1963

" data-original-title="" title="">Fareed Haque offer plenty of support and provide enough melodic variation to keep things interesting, as do a couple of Burnell originals, such as "Give Me One More Song" and "Two."

The music is relaxed and generally upbeat. Anne and Mark Burnell convey an infectious enthusiasm throughout, so whatever one's taste in vocal music, this recording is an appropriate choice.

Learn more about our star rating system

Track Listing

This Could Be The Start of Something; I Could Have Danced All Night; Joy Spring; Song Sung Blue; Give Me One More Song; The Lusty Month of May; Fiets Don't Fail Me Now; Sir Duke; Sweet Dream of Love; Isn't This A Lovely Day; Two; A Sunday Kind of Love; Let's Eat Home. i

Personnel

Anne Burnell

vocals

Mark Burnell

keyboards

Joshua Ramos

bass

Pat Mallinger

saxophone

Fareed Haque

guitar

Album information

Title: This Could Be The Start of Something Big | Year Released: 2024 | Record Label: Burnell Music

burnellmusic �� Fiets Don't Fail Me Now

PREVIOUS / NEXT

Vol. 3 - Song for Mimi
< Previous

Victoria Kirilova, Anneleen Boehme, ...
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.