Where Is Love?
1.
Sugar
2. Twilight Time
3.
Where Is Love?
4. Charade
5. And I Love Her
6. Ode to Billy Joe
7. Coraçáo Vagabundo
8. Open the Door
9. Nature Boy
10. West Coast Blues
11. I Fall In Love Too Easily
12. My One and Only Love
Kelley Suttenfield -
vocals Michael Cabe - piano, Fender Rhodes Jesse Lewis - electric guitar Tony Romano - acoustic guitar Matt Aronoff - bass Brian Adler - drums, tablas
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Though decidedly a jazz CD, Where Is Love? transcends musical
sub-genres while establishing an identifiable and contemporary sound. Backed by
her five-piece jazz ensemble, Kelley layers global influences upon her warm
southern roots creating an evocative mood that clearly resonates with her
audience. The playlist is eclectic, imaginative, and timeless, comprising
thoughtful song selections with contrasting arrangements. The unspoken exchanges
between musicians are both moving and magical. The end result is a love letter
to the listener.
The opening track, Stanley
Turrentine's Sugar, sets the tone of the CD with a surprising and
swinging start. The next track, Platters classic Twilight Time, is made
over into a sultry country shuffle, conjuring up images of sentimental summer
nights. Where Is Love?, the title track, draws from Kelley's childhood
memories of the musical Oliver! This version has been recast with a 7/8
time signature, and features a soaring interplay of acoustic guitar and bass
improvisation. The message is powerful yet tender – a longing for loves lost and
those yet to be found - and it is the connecting point between all of the songs
on the CD.
Charade, And I Love Her, and Ode to Billy Joe, are nods to
pop culture sensations, each vastly different in delivery. Charade begins
with a haunting bass and electric guitar theme setting up the 5/4 time. This is
followed by a guitarless reinvention of the Beatles' ballad And I Love Her,
while Ode to Billy Joe borrows elements from country, funk, and gospel
roots to re-tell this great American southern epic. In contrast, Caetano
Veloso's Coraçao Vagabundo, Betty Carter's Open the Door, and jazz
standard I Fall in Love Too Easily pull directly from Brazilian
influences. In the classic Coraçao Vagabundo, the original bossa nova
form is ironically deconstructed into a circular feel, reminiscent of a carousel
ride of youth, which relates to the sentiment of the verse. Open the Door
continues the journey, but with a vibrant samba feel, undulating with energy and
passion. Later a bossa nova version of I Fall in Love Too Easily is
heard, drenched in "saudade" (Brazilian sadness), and awash in mournful bass
arco overtones.
Nature Boy, West Coast
Blues, and My One and Only Love, are all jazz standards redefined.
Nature Boy is transformed as an homage to the Indian raga, layered with
tamboura (recorded), tablas, complementary bass lines, percussive piano, and
sitar-like electric guitar. Set in motion by a plaintive vocal wail, it
culminates in an extended raga-jazz fusion improvisation that is undoubtedly the
climax of the CD. The next selection, West Coast Blues, brings it back to
not-so-straight-ahead jazz, with a 9/8 rendition of this iconic Wes Montgomery
tune. The closing statement, My One and Only Love, is delivered as a
lilting jazz waltz that leaves the listener with a final sense of joy and
resolution.
As a debut CD,
Where Is Love? represents a self-defining moment of arrival for new artist
Kelley Suttenfield.