David Paul
Mesler
Just A Lucky So And So
Review by Nick DeRiso
Many a jazz singer has stumbled through the Great American
Songbook, slowed by imitative missteps or the inability to keep pace with a
swinging quartet surrounding him. David Paul Mesler is not that singer.
In fact, Just a Lucky
So and So, issued on Emerald City Records, includes a number of familiar
standards from the likes of Duke Ellington, George Gershwin and Rodgers and
Hart. But Mesler approaches them with individuality and grace, even while
brilliantly matching his deft backing band stride for stride.
Mesler begins with a quietly effective take on the title
track, the Duke Ellington standard. Pianist John Hansen swings confidently,
while saxophonist Jay Thomas adds a robust sensuality through a series of
well-placed asides. By the time bassist Michael Barnett and drummer Brian Kirk
join the proceedings, Mesler has begun to move from the role of smooth
balladeer into a serious groove, moving to the front of and then just behind
the beat with a confidence that recalls Harry Connick Jr. Hansen returns for a
roaming solo, tackling the theme head on, and then smartly moving far afield.
His playing is at once full of gusto, but temperamentally appropriate –
something that’s difficult to do.
Doris Day’s “Kiss in a Shadow,” meanwhile, has a completely
different feel, with Hansen and Co. playing in the lithe, air-filled style of
Vince Guaraldi’s trio. Melser, now the portrait of mid-century cool, moves into
a sweeter, lower tremolo -- like a next-generation Mel Torme.
Thomas then switches to the trumpet, adding a muted,
melancholy atmosphere to “They All Laughed,” the Gershwin classic. Mesler returns to the opener’s expressive,
rhythmic vocal style, something well suited for the lyric’s series of
throw-away hipster asides. Bassist Barnett propels “The More I See You,” perhaps most
famously done by Peter Allen, into a break-neck pace. That nudges drummer Kirk
toward a series of smacking brush-strokes, then Thomas -- again on sax -- into
a blinding series of honking retorts. Mesler, unfazed by the sudden cacophony
all around, displays a terrific ability to change gears, up-shifting into a
confident swash-buckling attitude.
The Victor Young standard “My Foolish Heart,” presented with
an undulating island beat, becomes a showcase for the delicate intertwining of
sound between Hansen’s piano and Mesler’s voice. Playing longer, more intuitive
lines now, in stirring contrast to the polyrhythmic efforts of Kirk, Hansen
echoes perhaps the most emotional performance yet from Mesler. Eventually, the song slowly quiets, becoming
nothing more than the insistent cadence from Kirk, and Mesler modulates
perfectly -- bringing the song to a sweetly romantic conclusion.
“You Taught My Heart To Sing,” memorably done by Dianne
Reeves, finds Mesler rebounding into a robust joy. Thomas offers a brightly
swinging solo, this time on the trumpet, while Hansen’s driving runs at the
keyboard underscore the sun-filled tone. But it’s Mesler who frames the song’s
billowing hopefulness. He sings with an open-hearted joy, the personification
of a smile.
“Skylark,” the timeless songbook favorite written by Johnny
Mercer and Hoagy Carmichael, is often presented as a devastating admission of
loneliness. Mesler won’t let the song skitter off that emotional edge, though,
holding out in his insistently swinging vocal for this last moment of
hopefulness. Thomas answers with a series of simple, effective lines on the
trumpet, recalling the tender impact of Chet Baker.
“Where Or When,” from Rodgers and Hart, is goosed along in a
similarly memorable way, with Mesler’s band skipping merrily behind as the
singer reformulates this ballad into a happy-go-lucky moment of winking
intrigue. Returning now to the urbane
tone of Torme, Mesler provides a horn-like counterpoint to Thomas’ sax work.
In fact, until the last, he’s an impish foil for this
backing band. On “That’s All,” initially brought to wider attention by Nat
“King” Cole, Mesler moves and grooves with every bit of the musical confidence
of Thomas, who’s searching sax solo carries the song -- and Mesler’s Just a Lucky So and So -- to a
satisfying close.
Review by Nick DeRiso
Rating: 5 stars (out
of 5)
Nick DeRiso writes for All About Jazz, Gannett News Service, Review You, Something Else Reviews and USA Today.
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