Love In The City
Nana Note, 2023
8/10
The exceptional jazz singer Yuka Mito brings her eloquent voice to these 7 tracks that welcome her always impressive trio of Allen Farnham, Dean Johnson, and Tim Horner, plus guest spots from Vincent Herring and Andres Lapridav.
“I Got Rhythm” opens the listen with Herring’s bright and soulful sax complementing Mito’s smooth, fluid singing in the Gershwin original, and the title track, an original, follows with Farnham’s eloquent keys complementing the expressive delivery from Mito’s diverse pipes.
“Four Brothers” and “Memory Of Father” land in the middle, where the former showcases swift and playful scatting amid Horner’s skilled drums, while the latter lands in balladry thanks to the emotive vocals and sublime piano playing. The final track, “I’ll Remember April”, benefits much from Johnson’s bouncy bass plucking and the frisky drums for the dance floor ready exit.
A listen that can swing with the best of them and also find itself in vulnerable areas, Mito puts an excellent spin on the classics, and the 2 originals certainly further solidify her spot as one of today’s most adored jazz vocalists.
Travels well with: Laila Faerman- Awake! Arise!; Maria Jacobs- Back At The Bop Stop