Pure Imagination
Amber Inn, 2020
8/10
A Los Angeles jazz vocalist with an impressive set of pipes, Amber Weekes reworks a dozen of her favorite standards on the aptly titled Pure Imagination, as she brings in a small handful of players to help flesh out the warm interpretations.
The title track starts the listen as Sue Raney also contributes vocals to the elegant yet playful opener that sets the mood, and “It’s All Right With Me” follows with swinging jazz fun where brass and lively percussion complement the affair.
Near the middle, “Gotta Be This Or That” lets the trumpets shine as Weekes provides smooth, expressive singing, while “Brown Baby” resides closer to balladry as the calm setting relies on strings. “When October Goes”, the album highlight, then recruits upbeat melodies and a romantic atmosphere with flowing instrumentation in the Bossa-Nova gem.
Near the end, “The Way He Makes Me Feel", a duet with Mon David, is one of the vocal standouts as the twinkling music emits a cinematic quality, and the last formal track, Paul Simon’s “Gone At Last”, is redone with the spirit of New Orleans that’s festive and layered perfectly.
Most of us won’t be familiar with the bulk of these tunes, and even if you are, Weekes reinvents them in her own light, and it results in a must hear album for fans of swingin’ and soulful jazz.
Travels well with: Coniece Washington- Shades Of Shirley Horn; Rebecca Angel- Santa Baby