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Michele
Anastasio
Good
Morning Heartache
Since
the demise of the Swing Era half a century ago, female vocalists,
who once existed to croon a few requisite numbers as a big band
“canary,” have graduated to the jazz combo world of
Vegas lounges and Manhattan cabarets. But some things have remained
constant: The repertoire is typically drawn from the classic
American popular standards and Broadway fare and, as with the
big bands, the girl just sings — it’s the group that
swings.
Such is the case with vocalist Michele Anastasio and her quartet
on this program of 13 well known tunes that range from Cole
Porter’s “Night and Day” to Michel Legrand’s
“Watch What Happens.” A trained singer whose career
includes stints in dinner theater, off-Broadway musicals, regional
swing bands, and even ones belting out the national anthem for
the New York Giants, Anastasio possesses a warm and inviting
voice, impeccable diction, an excellent sense of phrasing, and
other hallmarks of a well-traveled professional.
While
she’s not a temptress in the mold of a Julie London, the
breathy seductress who helped define this style in the 1950s,
Anastasio can impart a touching kind of slow-burn sensuality
when the lyrics call for it. She pushed that button on “Since
I Fell for You,” one of the date’s most satisfying
tracks, and on “My One and Only Love.” Indeed, a palpable
sense of vulnerability in her tone is one of the singer’s
most attractive attributes.
A
somewhat coy personality emerges on up-tempo fare like “Route
66” and “A Foggy Day,” where the torch is set
aside and Anastasio dances lightly over the brisk rhythms. But
the set’s jazz quotient emanates from the well-oiled combo,
particularly from pianist Bob Edwards and guitarist Alan Broadbent,
whose tasteful comping and darting improvisations recall the
heyday of this venerable genre.
—
Mark Holston, JAZZIZ
Magazine, January 2001
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