COMPOSERS: Melody Gardot
LABELS: UCJ
PERFORMER: Melody Gardot (vocals, guitar), Ron Kerber (saxophone), Matt Cappy (trumpet), Joel Bryant, Dave Posmontier (keyboards), Ken Pendergast (bass), Charlie Patierno (drums)
CATALOGUE NO: UCJ 1749640
It seemed fitting that the New-Jersey-born jazz singer Melody Gardot should take part in a tribute to Ella Fitzgerald, launching last year’s London Jazz Festival.
Like Fitzgerald, Gardot has mingled with some of the greatest names in jazz – during the festival she also found time to record with Herbie Hancock at Abbey Road Studios.
Remarkably, Gardot only seriously turned to composition by embarking on a course of music therapy after a road accident left her severely injured four years ago.
Now, the fruits of her labour are on display in her debut album, Worrisome Heart, which fuses bluesy jazz, folk and uplifting gospel elements.
The title track displays traces of Van Morrison’s ‘Moondance’ and her measured delivery complements the B3 Hammond licks of Joel Bryant.
This is end-of-the evening stuff, and ‘Goodnite’, with its shuffling swing, promises sweet dreams.