MUSIC REVIEW BY Marcia Hillman, All About Jazz/New York
This is a very pleasing offering that came as a result of Gloria Cooper's editing of the Second Floor Music publication Sing Jazz. Many of the songs covered in the publication she was not familiar with, prompting her to record a new CD featuring some of this material. A large number these songs started out their lives as instrumentals with lyrics added much later. Because of this, it seems quite appropriate that Cooper's voice is treated as an instrument, rather than with an out-in-front-of-the-band vocal approach. Since her voice has a soft quality, this is a successful formula, Rudy Van Gelder's engineering talents capturing it to perfection. Instrumentally, the personnel consists of Cooper (piano), Don Sickler (trumpet/flugelhorn), Wayne Escoffery (tenor and soprano saxophones), Freddie Bryant (guitar), Tim Givens (bass) and Vince Cherico (drums). Sickler handled all the arrangements with the exception of "Dedicated To You" and "Come Rain Or Come Shine" which were done by Cooper. Cooper's one original is "Reveling In The Beat " with lyrics by jazz journalist Ira Gitler. This is a track on which Bryant's guitar work shines. The tunes all have a fine ensemble feel with good solos. Cooper's piano work is of the "less is more" school and is very tasty throughout but it is her voice that makes the chosen material.
