Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Hilary Kole: You Are There

Hilary Kole: You Are There

By Dan Bilawsky
January 8, 2011
View read count

Vocalist Hilary Kole is more than a mere interpreter of songs. Like the great singers who came before her, Kole is a master storyteller who merges cabaret sensibilities, jazz vocal craft and a slight hint of folk charm into one appealing package. She possesses a voice that could fit naturally on a Broadway stage or in a swanky jazz club, and she puts it to good use on this all-standards affair.

Kole sticks to the softer side of the jazz canon, interpreting thirteen ballad gems with eleven different pianists of note. Had she only been able to get one of these master craftsmen—like

Hank Jones

piano
1918 - 2010

" data-original-title="" title="">Hank Jones or

Dave Brubeck

piano
1920 - 2012

" data-original-title="" title="">Dave Brubeck—the project would likely have drawn interest from the jazz listening public, but with a roster of ivory ticklers that's as deep as the ocean, she ups the interest quotient considerably.

Each pianist merges with Kole in a different, wondrous way, bringing a little bit of themselves into the songs. Hank Jones largely takes a back seat to Kole, befitting a pianist who spent many a year supporting singers, but his playing on "But Beautiful" is all class and charm. Kole brings an overwrought sense of drama to

Michel Legrand

piano
1932 - 2019

" data-original-title="" title="">Michel Legrand's "How Do You Keep the Music Playing?," as the composer also magnifies the intense emotional outpouring on piano.

Mike Renzi

piano
1946 - 2021

" data-original-title="" title="">Mike Renzi provides rippling tides of sound on "I Remember," and Kole's vocals are as lovely as a clear blue sky.

While the aforementioned differences from track to track might not pop up on everybody's radar, there are other things to help make certain songs stick out.

Freddy Cole

piano
1931 - 2020

" data-original-title="" title="">Freddy Cole adds his vocals to the mix on "It's Always You," while

Benny Green

piano
b.1963

" data-original-title="" title="">Benny Green brings more of himself into his performance, perhaps, than anyone else, with some bluesy licks and a bit of honky tonk machismo taking "Softly, As A Morning Sunrise" to a different place.

Kenny Barron

piano
b.1943

" data-original-title="" title="">Kenny Barron's superb playing ups the ante on "Lush Life," and Kole proves up to the challenge, delivering a jewel of a performance. When Barron solos, he takes the music in a different direction, with his staccato left hand playing against his running right. Other highlights include

Alan Broadbent

piano
b.1947

" data-original-title="" title="">Alan Broadbent's masterful shaping of the title track, and Kole's two meetings with Brubeck.

If people are truly measured by the company they keep, then Kole deserves all the accolades in the world for You Are There; fortunately, she does just as well when measured on her own merits throughout this captivating set.

Learn more about our star rating system

Track Listing

If I Had You; Every Time We Say Goodbye; It's Always You; Lush Life; These Foolish Things; I Remember; How Do You Keep the Music Playing?; But Beautiful; Softly, As In a Morning Sunrise; Strange Meadowlark; You Are There; Two For the Road; All the Way.

Personnel

Hilary Kole

vocals

Hilary Kole: vocals; Monty Alexander: piano (13); Kenny Barron: piano (4); Dave Brubeck: piano (5, 10); Alan Broadbent: piano (11); Freddy Cole: vocals and piano (3); Benny Green: piano (9); Hank Jones: piano (1, 8); Steve Kuhn: piano (12); Michel Legrand: piano (7); Mike Renzi: piano (6); Cedar Walton: piano (2).

Album information

Title: You Are There | Year Released: 2010 | Record Label: Justin Time Records

PREVIOUS / NEXT

Daniel Carter Quartet: Brooklyn, Sep...
< Previous

One Take: Volume Four
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.