Live Photos: Matt Ginger
From: Katerina's - 04/07/09
Review: Erin McDougald - "Meeting Place"
Erin McDougald, Flapper Girl Productions
By: Jenifer Dravillas
Musicians:
Erin McDougald - Vocals
Dan Cray - Piano
Clark Summers - Bass
Greg Wyser-Pratte - Drums, Percussion
Geof Bradfield - Tenor Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone, Bass Clarinet, Flute
Tracks:
1. Meeting Place,
2. Lullaby of the Leaves,
3. Slow Boat to China,
4. Sweet Child O’ Mine,
5. That Sunday, That Summer,
6. Spring is Here,
7. What’s New,
8. Sing Me the Blues,
9. No Moon at All,
10. Small Day Tomorrow,
11. Thou Swell,
12. I’m the Girl,
13. The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face/Laura
Original Release Date: March 6, 2006
Jazz vocalist Erin McDougald’s latest CD, “The Meeting Place” is a delightful exploration of what makes jazz so great – the unexpected. From the CD title’s melancholy tribute to the man who introduced Erin to jazz, her late grandfather, set at a surprisingly fast tempo, to the fresh arrangements of many familiar jazz standards from “Slow Boat to China” to “Thou Swell,” to the uncovering of a lesser known tunes such as “I’m the Girl” and “Small Day Tomorrow,” to Erin’s own original compositions including the title track and “Sing Me the Blues”, and to even a jazz treatment of rock group Guns N Roses’ “Sweet Child O’ Mine” (performed in an interesting 7/4 time.), the listener is left with a self satisfying feeling of this is what jazz was meant to do – surprise, keep your attention, and ultimately, shed a new light and tell stories of the human experience by way of a musical journey.
On “The Meeting Place” you feel you catch a glimpse of who the evocative Erin McDougald is – and why this artist refers to herself as a modern day “flapper girl.” The mood, groove, and tempo of many of the songs on the CD shows Erin’s respectful nod to not only an era goneby - a time when jazz was considered the popular music of the day – but also to some of the subsequent jazz, pop, and rock eras, but always done with a jazz treatment. This is aptly displayed by her artfully diverse song selections. You also feel when listening to many of the songs that you may have stumbled upon the group at a smoky dark jazz club playing just for themselves at 3am after the crowds have long gone home and only the waitstaff is around closing up. This is best exemplified on “Small Day Tomorrow,” “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face/Laura,” and the starkly naked acoustic vocal/bass duo arranged “What’s New.”
The quality of Erin’s vocals is very engaging – a beautiful tone with a range spanning soaring high note progressions to very enjoyable moments of low grounded earthy bass notes (check out her Bossa Nova “Lullaby of the Leaves” or highly rhythmic “Spring is Here” and then afterwards the earthy “Sing Me the Blues.”) And her phrasing and improv chops prove her worthy of the title Jazz Vocalist – just take a listen to her turning interesting phrases around the tight rhythm section on bebop-inspired “Slow Boat to China.”
Speaking of the tight rhythm section, Erin is supported by the wonderful Dan Cray Trio with Dan Cray on piano, Clark Summers on bass, and Greg Wyser-Pratte on drums. Their presence on the CD makes The Meeting Place” a true jazz treat through their contribution of superb phrasing, improvisation, tempo changes, and chord progressions, but most importantly, like Erin, they swing - which makes for many dynamic and exciting performances. Check out their Afro-Cuban, samba feel on “Spring is Here” and their bop-inspired “Thou Swell.”. Add to all that the addition of accomplished reed master Geof Bradfield on sax, clarinet, and flute and you’ll be sure to have enjoyed the musical journey of “The Meeting Place” - and glad you spent a few moments reliving your own human experience.
Erin McDougald Biography
Erin McDougald is a jazz singer and performer based in Chicago, Illinois. Her well-respected and gifted jazz musicians are responsible for some of the finest music currently being performed in Chicago and abroad.
For those who know her, her name is synonymous with a plethora of images--contradictory and succinct, she is: artistic and dramatic, sultry and sullen, frantic and coy, dreamy and ambitious, ostentatious and introverted--Erin McDougald is all things entertaining! For those who do not yet know her, well, you quickly understand, once you catch a glimpse that her heart is on her sleeve and always filled with a song to match her mood. This is your introduction to a singer with heart and soul.
For more information about Erin McDougald, please visit her official website at: http://www.flappergirlsings.com/