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Ian Shaw, Iain Ballamy, Jamie Safir: What's New

By Chris May
March 22, 2020
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Ian Shaw, Iain Ballamy, Jamie Safir: What's New

What's new? Not the dozen songs on this enchanting trio album. Most of them have been around for well over fifty years and people will likely still be enjoying them in another fifty. The composers include

Duke Ellington

piano
1899 - 1974

" data-original-title="" title="">Duke Ellington, Richard Rodgers,

Burt Bacharach

composer / conductor
1928 - 2023

" data-original-title="" title="">Burt Bacharach, Jimmy Van Heusen,

Michel Legrand

piano
1932 - 2019

" data-original-title="" title="">Michel Legrand and

Leonard Bernstein

composer / conductor
1918 - 1990

" data-original-title="" title="">Leonard Bernstein. Musically sophisticated and lyrically literate, the allure of their songs seems to grow, not fade, with age.

What's New was recorded by vocalist

Ian Shaw

vocals
b.1962

" data-original-title="" title="">Ian Shaw and tenor saxophonist

Iain Ballamy

saxophone, tenor
b.1964

" data-original-title="" title="">Iain Ballamy, two of the brightest stars of Britain's class of the late-1980s jazz generation. They are accompanied by hot young London pianist Jamie Safir. No bass, no drums. Frequent collaborators, Shaw and Ballamy first recorded together in 1992; chiming with particular resonance to What's New is the pair's work on Shaw's drummerless-quartet album, In A New York Minute (Milestone, 1999). Like Shaw and Ballamy, Safir is well known to London audiences, either leading his own trio or as an accompanist. He pays the rent by playing with pop megastar Will Young.

The longevity of the songs on What's New might well have surprised their composers (of whom only Bacharach is still with us in 2020). They were conceived, after all, as commercial pop songs and were not necessarily expected to last. But they have continued to delight succeeding generations of musicians and listeners. Take the title track as an example. Originally an instrumental called "I'm Free," it was written in 1938 by

Bob Haggart

bass
b.1914

" data-original-title="" title="">Bob Haggart for

Bob Crosby

saxophone, alto
1913 - 1993

" data-original-title="" title="">Bob Crosby's Dixieland band. Lyrics were added later by Johnny Burke. Numerous vocal versions include landmark ones by

Helen Merrill

vocals
b.1929

" data-original-title="" title="">Helen Merrill (with

Clifford Brown

trumpet
b.1930

" data-original-title="" title="">Clifford Brown) and

Billie Holiday

vocals
1915 - 1959

" data-original-title="" title="">Billie Holiday (with

Benny Carter

saxophone, alto
1907 - 2003

" data-original-title="" title="">Benny Carter).

Erroll Garner

piano
1921 - 1977

" data-original-title="" title="">Erroll Garner,

Ahmad Jamal

piano
1930 - 2023

" data-original-title="" title="">Ahmad Jamal and

John Coltrane

saxophone
1926 - 1967

" data-original-title="" title="">John Coltrane are among the many who have recorded instrumental versions. It appears on live albums by

Miles Davis

trumpet
1926 - 1991

" data-original-title="" title="">Miles Davis,

Dexter Gordon

saxophone, tenor
1923 - 1990

" data-original-title="" title="">Dexter Gordon, the

Modern Jazz Quartet

band / ensemble / orchestra
b.1952

" data-original-title="" title="">Modern Jazz Quartet and even....

Cecil Taylor

piano
1929 - 2018

" data-original-title="" title="">Cecil Taylor. In 1983, the song was the title track of a collection of standards released by Linda Ronstadt. How long have you got?

What's New was recorded live in the studio in spring 2019 and the three-day process was, says Shaw, "pure joy." So is listening to it.

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Track Listing

What��s New?; You��ll Never Get To Heaven (If You Break My Heart); Prelude To A Kiss; You Stepped Out Of A Dream; Once Upon A Summertime; If You Never Come To Me; I Wish I Were In Love Again; Some Other Time; It Might As Well Be Spring; Alfie; Come Sunday; I��ll Only Miss Him When I Think Of Him.

Personnel

Ian Shaw

vocals

Iain Ballamy

saxophone, tenor

Jamie Safier

piano

Album information

Title: What's New | Year Released: 2020 | Record Label: Silent Wish

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