Love Is For The Birds

Album review

Singer Meredith d'Ambrosio alternates between trio arrangements (which she co-arranged with pianist Lee Musiker) and a sextet scored by trumpeter and flugelhornist Don Sickler, while also writing lyrics for all 13 songs, which are centered around the challenge of achieving and maintaining love. Her soft, cool-toned vocals are captivating, as is her ability to write intelligent lyrics that originate from songs by composers like Kenny Dorham ("Rhyme of Spring," originally "Poetic Spring"), Harold Land ("That Magic Rapture," initially called "Rapture"), Tom McIntosh ("Cup of Life," adapted from "The Cup Bearers"), and Clifford Brown ("Beloved," based on his well-known "Daahoud"). D'Ambrosio also wrote both the music and lyrics to six of the selections, including the haunting ballad "I May Be the One." She collaborated with Eddie Higgins (her husband) on the richly textured samba "Just a Dream (Falando de Orlando)" and Ray Passman on the whimsical but understated "Frishberg and Dorough," a fine tribute to two very entertaining singing pianists which intermixes excerpts of lyrics from each of the songs. Highly recommended.
© Ken Dryden /TiVo