David Sanborn
Pearls
Elektra 61759-2 (1995)
Rating: * * * *
It seems the entire musical community is on a “standards” kick lately. Natalie Cole did her daddy’s records, followed by ‘Take A Look’, another album of fine renditions of standards. Toni Tenille, John Pizzarelli, and even the Stray Cats’ Brian Setzer cut big-band tracks featuring standards. Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett are enjoying renewed success today, a couple of artists responsible for making these standards popular in the first place. And coming up next week, Chicago (yes, the rock band) is releasing ‘Night & Day (Big Band)’, which features unique remakes of big band classics.
Hot on their heels is David Sanborn,putting aside his fusion/funk chops (a la Marcus Miller) to lay down some tracks of…you guessed it…standards. Curiosity getting the best of me, I had no idea what to expect. David Sanborn. An orchestral backing. Johnny Mandel arrangements. Standards. Hmm…
It’s not exactly a knockout, “must have” album by any means, but it is indeed pleasant. It features Sanborn’s fiery, bluesy alto saxophone against a velvet backdrop of lush strings. Since Sanborn is the feature of this show, he carries most of the melody and soloing throughout the album. A sax-a-thon dose of mega-Sanborn, if you will.
The song selection is well thought out. Featured are the tracks “Smoke Gets In Your Eyes”, “Willow Weep for Me”, and more modern “popular” standards such as an excellent reading of “This Masquerade”, Leon Russell’s “Superstar”, and a duet of “Nobody Does It Better” featuring Oleta Adams.
This would have been a great “make out” album to have in high school. (Well, maybe not, since the girls I knew listened to Aerosmith and AC/DC and Led Zep…at least I can fantasize!) A good late-evening gig to throw into the CD player with a glass of wine and a fire crackling in the fireplace. David pulls out the stops and does some great soloing, so this album should please his current fans. Other, more casual listeners will enjoy its laid back groove. All told, a pleasant album with a little “kick” to it. Enjoy!