It is quite hard for me to understand that this is a debut album given the confidence pouring out, but given that Gretje Angell is both a daughter and granddaughter of drummers, it can be argued she was born to sing jazz. From when she was young she regularly accompanied her father to jazz clubs for his gigs and also learned to play string bass. She studied classical music in college, spent time away from music, moved to Los Angeles, and became an important part of the local jazz scene. Here she is accompanied by Dori Amarilio (guitar), Kevin Axt (bass), Steve Hass (drums), Kevin Winard (percussion) along with Chuck Berghofer (bass) and Michael Hunter (trumpet), while we also have an orchestra at one point.
The album is delightful as she moves through many different styles, yet always with her pure vocals front and centre no matter if she is working with a full band or just guitarist Dori Amarillo. Her version of “Fever” is inspired, while “One Note Samba” is nothing short of incredible. Here she has a slight reverb on his vocals, and starts the song with just some gentle scat, then the acoustic guitar comes in and she slips and slides through a latin classic. It is simple in the extreme, yet is the perfect joining of incredibly warm vocals and great accompaniment. The song after that is another simple arrangement, this time for “Tea For Two”, and I found myself singing this while I was working as it just burned into my brain.
Bossa nova, swing, Samba, big band, there is nothing Gretje can’t handle and her voice is rich velvet throughout. From the very note to the very end this is simple and sheer poetry, a real delight.
Rating: 9/10
