Distances

Performer: Norma Winstone
Distributor: Universal Distribution

Notes: Personnel: Norma Winstone (vocals); Klaus Gesing (bass clarinet, soprano saxophone); Glauco Venier (piano). British jazz vocalist Norma Winstone's DISTANCES mixes chamber music and classic vocal jazz with snatches of calypso, folk, and other genres. Yet the album doesn't bully its listener with willful eclecticism. Instead, Winstone's accompanists--pianist Glauco Venier and reedist Klaus Gesing--create a spare sonic landscape that paints shades of color around Winstone's evocative singing. The mood is quiet, reflective, and seductive, yet one is always aware of the skill behind the taut, telepathic sound-painting created by Winstone and her guests. A truly beautiful effort (one that belongs firmly in the legacy of ECM, the label that released it), DISTANCES should please chamber-jazz fans and vocal-jazz lovers alike.

Down Beat (p.66) - "With an intoxicating, forceful coo, Winstone inhabits everything on this album, expecially the tunes with her lyrics and music." JazzTimes (p.81) - "The mood is mellow, the atmosphere charged with intellectual electricity, and the musicianship sublime." Global Rhythm (Publication) (p.49) - "[H]er first ECM release in a decade shows her to be as commanding and inventive a presence as ever."

Although she studied formally as a pianist, Norma Winstone decided to sing and became a professional by her mid-teens. Her earliest work was in jazz-influenced popular song but she soon gravitated towards the modern end of the jazz spectrum. In the '60s, and '70s she became known for her musical associations with Michael Garrick, and alongside Kenny Wheeler and her husband John Taylor, in the trio Azimuth. She also worked with leading contemporary musicians, including Ralph Towner, Mike Westbrook, and Eberhard Weber. In the late-'80s/early-'90s, Winstone returned to the classic repertoire of earlier decades and in 1995 she recorded WELL KEPT SECRET with veteran pianist Jimmy Rowles. In 1998, she recorded her first duo album with her husband, LIKE SONG, LIKE WEATHER.

Click Here for Shipping Options and Policies

Shipping or Dimension weight in pounds: 0.5