‘Round Midnight Re-Imagined
Amber Inn, 2021
9/10
Listen Round Midnight Re-Imagined
An artist whose quantity and quality of work run parallel (this is her 4th release in 2 years), Amber Weekes returns with a batch of jazz influenced tunes from the past, and she’s got an all star cast of Southern California musicians with her, including Danny Grissett, Eddy Olivieri and Trevor Ware, among many others.
“Hazel’s Hips” starts the listen with hand clapping fun as Louis Van Taylor’s spirited saxophone supports Weekes’ smooth, soulful pipes, and “Summer Samba” follows with warm piano as Mark Cargill’s playful violin adds much to rhythmic setting.
Landing near the middle, “My Romance” recruits a dreamy climate as an orchestral backdrop complements the expressive, rich singing, while “Don’t You Feel My Leg” is as frisky as the title, where Sherman Ferguson’s proficient drumming and the fluid guitar lines add much to the bluesy delivery. “One For My Baby”, a particularly stirring track, then emits a soft and romantic execution that’s dizzying and sublime.
Close the end, the shuffling pace of “Lovers” will get your body moving to the timeless melody and soothing backing vocals, and “More Than You Know” exits the listen with much depth to Weekes’ soaring vocals as her always exciting brand of jazz exits with as much memorableness as it started.
Originally a promotional recording from 2002 that was made for clubs and festivals, the tracks here are remastered, remixed and reorchestrated. These are all songs that Weekes sang as a child, and are documented here as a tribute to her late father, as she swings and gets soulful in her inimitable and always charming fashion.
Travels well with: Diane Moser- Birdsongs; Anne Neikirk- Spring Shadows