Be Cool

Vocalist Nancy Kelly is back with a new album on Origin Records, Be Cool. Given the quality of Kelly's voice, and the sidemen she's surrounded herself with on the album, it's no surprise that the album sounds great. Jerry Weldon and Houston Person (on two tracks) are the tenor saxophonists. Dave Stryker is playing guitar, Carmen Intorre, Jr is behind the drums, and William Gorman is the organist. From the opener, "Devil May Care," this is a disc high on energy. This is one of the rare times that I've heard "Besame Mucho" with an arrangement that swings, but here we are, and the change of pace is fantastic. Joni Mitchell's "Be Cool" gets a treatment that is right in the pocket, and it's probably impossible to not be charmed by the version of Miles Davis' Boplicity (with lyrics, now it's "BeBop Lives"). With a band of this caliber, and the laid back vocals of Nancy Kelly, it seems to be pretty easy to , well, Be Cool.