Review:
Sandy Sasso
Hands On (Charlie Boy Records)
By Alex Henderson
It isn’t hard to see why Sandy Sasso decided upon this album’s title: the New Jersey-based jazz vocalist takes a hands-on approach, serving as executive producer and arranger in addition to self-releasing the album and helping engineer Joseph DeMaio with the mixing and mastering. The influence of Julie London, Chris Connor, June Christy and other Cool School vocalists prominent during the ‘50s is evident, yet this date is far from a carbon copy of Eisenhower-era vocal jazz; Sasso has been influenced by post-bop and interprets a lot of songs written after the ‘50s. Her sideme —saxophonist/flutist Bill Easley, pianist Carlton Holmes, bassist Gary Mazzaroppi and drummer Tim Horner—bring plenty of nuance to the table.
Hearing a performance of Kurt Weill’s “My Ship” or J. Fred Coots’ “You Go to My Head” isn’t surprising. But Sasso puts a cool-toned spin on everything from Freddie Hubbard’s “Little Sunflower” (with Al Jarreau’s lyrics) and Michael Franks’ “Sanpaku” to The Drifters’ “Up on the Roof” and The Lovin’ Spoonful’s “Summer in the City.” One of the most unlikely choices is Leonard Bernstein-Stephen Sondheim’s “Jet Song” from West Side Story, a musical that, in its own stylized way, dealt with some heavy-duty subject matter.
Sondheim’s lyrics were written from the perspective of a gang member, but when Sasso tackles them in a London/Connor-ish way, the results are fun and playful rather than an exercise in social commentary. Sasso makes The Jets sound like a social club rather than a street gang.
Back in the ‘50s, some reviewers accused the Cool School of sounding aloof and distant. But Cool did not mean cold—and Sasso, similarly, has no problem being expressive on this CD, which is quite accessible but also has its share of interesting surprises.♦♦♦
