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Lisa Kirchner's album Something to Sing About on first (and even second) glance has all the look of a straightforward collection of songs by American composers, including Ives, Corigliano, Adams, Rorem, Del Tredici, Harbison, Bolcom, Barber, and Leon Kirchner (the singer's father, a Pulitzer Prize-winning composer, but in fact, all the composers in that list also won the prize), as well as some from more of a pop tradition like Robert Telson and Wynton Marsalis. Closer inspection of the credits, though, offers a clue that something is up; the accompanying instruments include piano, alto sax, accordion, bass, guitar, and drums. But you really have to hear the songs to get a handle on the album's uniqueness. Kirchner is a jazz singer whose voice has the character of a cabaret chanteuse, so her style is not at all like that of the kind of bel canto-trained singer for whom most of these songs were written. Although her vocal quality is jazz-inflected, she sings the songs basically straight-on (except for some improvised riffs thrown in during transitions and sometimes adding repeats), just as they were originally written. Her accompanying ensemble, however, may or may not reflect composers' original version, so the overall effect is definitively more jazz than classical. In these performances, the songs sound not like crossover -- classical music dressed up as jazz -- but like they were written as jazzy pop tunes, even though, paradoxically the tunes are presented essentially unaltered, just as the composers wrote them. It's initially disconcerting, particularly in familiar songs like Barber's "Under the Willow Tree," where Barber has one truly weird modulation in the transition but this version has a dizzying string of truly weird modulations before settling down. But, it works. As odd as the premise sounds and as surprising as the initial impressions are, these performances sound like persuasive, frequently beguiling, renditions of jazz standards. Kirchner's dusky voice is seductive and wears well, and she sings with easy spontaneity and intuitive musicality. Much credit goes to the band for the inventiveness of its accompaniment. The sound is clear, immediate, and very clean. The voice is foregrounded in a style more characteristic of pop than classical. The album should interest fans of cabaret singing and crossover, as well as adventurous fans of classical vocal music.
© Stephen Eddins /TiVo
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In Autumn (Charles Ives)
Lisa Kirchner, Performer - Sherman Irby, Performer - Ron Jackson, Performer - Joel Fan, Performer - Dwayne Burno, Performer - Willie Jones III, Performer - Anonymous, Lyricist - Charles Ives, Composer
2011 Albany 2011 Albany
Prince of the City (Paul Chihara)
Lisa Kirchner, Composer, Performer - Sherman Irby, Performer - Ron Jackson, Performer - Vicente Archer, Performer - Xavier Davis, Performer - Willie Jones III, Performer - Paul Chihara, Composer
2011 Albany 2011 Albany
The Cloisters (John Corigliano)
Lisa Kirchner, Performer - Sherman Irby, Performer - Ron Jackson, Performer - Joel Fan, Performer - Dwayne Burno, Performer - Willie Jones III, Performer - John Corigliano Jr., Composer - William M. Hoffman, Lyricist
2011 Albany 2011 Albany
Sigh No More, Ladies (Stanley Silverman)
Lisa Kirchner, Performer - Ron Jackson, Performer - Vicente Archer, Performer - Xavier Davis, Performer - Willie Jones III, Performer - William Shakespeare, Lyricist - Stanley Silverman, Composer
2011 Albany 2011 Albany
Suicide in C Minor (William Schimmel)
Lisa Kirchner, Performer - Sherman Irby, Performer - William Schimmel, Composer, Performer - Ron Jackson, Performer - Vicente Archer, Performer - Xavier Davis, Performer - Willie Jones III, Performer
2011 Albany 2011 Albany
Early in the Morning (Ned Rorem)
Lisa Kirchner, Performer - William Schimmel, Performer - Ron Jackson, Performer - Joel Fan, Performer - Dwayne Burno, Performer - Willie Jones III, Performer - Ned Rorem, Composer - Robert Hillyer, Lyricist
2011 Albany 2011 Albany
I was Looking at the Ceiling and Then I Saw the Sky (John Adams)
Lisa Kirchner, Performer - Sherman Irby, Performer - Ron Jackson, Performer - Vicente Archer, Performer - Xavier Davis, Performer - Willie Jones III, Performer - John Adams, Composer - June Jordan, Lyricist
2011 Albany 2011 Albany
Crazy Love, Crazy Heart
Lisa Kirchner, Lyricist, Performer - Sherman Irby, Performer - William Schimmel, Performer - Ron Jackson, Performer - Vicente Archer, Performer - Xavier Davis, Performer - Willie Jones III, Performer
2011 Albany 2011 Albany
Old American Songs II (Aaron Copland)
Lisa Kirchner, Performer - William Schimmel, Performer - Ron Jackson, Performer - Joel Fan, Performer - Dwayne Burno, Performer - Willie Jones III, Performer - Traditional, Lyricist - Aaron Copland, Composer
2011 Albany 2011 Albany
Final Alice (David Del Tredici)
Lisa Kirchner, Performer - William Schimmel, Performer - Ron Jackson, Performer - Joel Fan, Performer - Dwayne Burno, Performer - Willie Jones III, Performer - David Del Tredici, Composer - Lewis Carroll, Lyricist
2011 Albany 2011 Albany
Barefoot
Lisa Kirchner, Performer - Ron Jackson, Performer - Vicente Archer, Performer - Xavier Davis, Performer - Willie Jones III, Performer - Bob Telson, Lyricist - K.D. lang, Lyricist
2011 Albany 2011 Albany
Lily (Léon Kirchner)
Lisa Kirchner, Performer - Sherman Irby, Performer - Ron Jackson, Performer - Joel Fan, Performer - Dwayne Burno, Performer - Willie Jones III, Performer - Léon Kirchner, Composer
2011 Albany 2011 Albany
The Great Gatsby (John Harbison)
Lisa Kirchner, Performer - William Schimmel, Performer - Ron Jackson, Performer - Vicente Archer, Performer - Xavier Davis, Performer - Willie Jones III, Performer - John Harbison, Composer - Murray Horwitz, Lyricist
2011 Albany 2011 Albany
Elephant Steps (Stanley Silverman)
Lisa Kirchner, Performer - William Schimmel, Performer - Ron Jackson, Performer - Vicente Archer, Performer - Willie Jones III, Performer - Stanley Silverman, Composer - Richard Foreman, Lyricist
2011 Albany 2011 Albany
Casino Paradise (William Bolcom)
Lisa Kirchner, Performer - Sherman Irby, Performer - Ron Jackson, Performer - Vicente Archer, Performer - Xavier Davis, Performer - Willie Jones III, Performer - William Bolcom, Composer - Arnold Weinstein, Lyricist
2011 Albany 2011 Albany
Sophie Rose-Rosalee (Lisa Kirchner)
Lisa Kirchner, Composer, Performer - Sherman Irby, Performer - Ron Jackson, Performer - Vicente Archer, Performer - Xavier Davis, Performer - Willie Jones III, Performer - Wynton Marsalis, Lyricist
2011 Albany 2011 Albany
Under the Willow Tree (Samuel Barber)
Lisa Kirchner, Performer - Sherman Irby, Performer - William Schimmel, Performer - Ron Jackson, Performer - Dwayne Burno, Performer - Joel Fan, Performer - Willie Jones III, Performer - Gian Carlo Menotti, Lyricist - Samuel Barber, Composer
2011 Albany 2011 Albany
Old American Songs I (Aaron Copland)
Lisa Kirchner, Performer - Sherman Irby, Performer - William Schimmel, Performer - Ron Jackson, Performer - Joel Fan, Performer - Dwayne Burno, Performer - Willie Jones III, Performer - Charles Edward Horn, Lyricist - Aaron Copland, Composer - George Pope Morris, Lyricist
2011 Albany 2011 Albany
Album review
Lisa Kirchner's album Something to Sing About on first (and even second) glance has all the look of a straightforward collection of songs by American composers, including Ives, Corigliano, Adams, Rorem, Del Tredici, Harbison, Bolcom, Barber, and Leon Kirchner (the singer's father, a Pulitzer Prize-winning composer, but in fact, all the composers in that list also won the prize), as well as some from more of a pop tradition like Robert Telson and Wynton Marsalis. Closer inspection of the credits, though, offers a clue that something is up; the accompanying instruments include piano, alto sax, accordion, bass, guitar, and drums. But you really have to hear the songs to get a handle on the album's uniqueness. Kirchner is a jazz singer whose voice has the character of a cabaret chanteuse, so her style is not at all like that of the kind of bel canto-trained singer for whom most of these songs were written. Although her vocal quality is jazz-inflected, she sings the songs basically straight-on (except for some improvised riffs thrown in during transitions and sometimes adding repeats), just as they were originally written. Her accompanying ensemble, however, may or may not reflect composers' original version, so the overall effect is definitively more jazz than classical. In these performances, the songs sound not like crossover -- classical music dressed up as jazz -- but like they were written as jazzy pop tunes, even though, paradoxically the tunes are presented essentially unaltered, just as the composers wrote them. It's initially disconcerting, particularly in familiar songs like Barber's "Under the Willow Tree," where Barber has one truly weird modulation in the transition but this version has a dizzying string of truly weird modulations before settling down. But, it works. As odd as the premise sounds and as surprising as the initial impressions are, these performances sound like persuasive, frequently beguiling, renditions of jazz standards. Kirchner's dusky voice is seductive and wears well, and she sings with easy spontaneity and intuitive musicality. Much credit goes to the band for the inventiveness of its accompaniment. The sound is clear, immediate, and very clean. The voice is foregrounded in a style more characteristic of pop than classical. The album should interest fans of cabaret singing and crossover, as well as adventurous fans of classical vocal music.
© Stephen Eddins /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 18 track(s)
- Total length: 01:10:02
- 1 Digital booklet
- Main artists: Lisa Kirchner
- Composer: Various Composers
- Label: Albany
- Genre: Jazz
2011 Albany 2011 Albany
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