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Cabaret Records 1994
CACD 5012-2
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wesla whitfield: vocals
mike greensill: piano / arranger
john Goldsby: bass
Tim horner: drums
gary foster: reeds
orrin keepnews: producer
Planet Jazz Magazine Winter/Spring 2003 issue by: G. Evans Wesla Whitfield The Best Thing For You Would be me” HighNote (HCD 7091) Though Wesla may be an acquired taste, so is caviar, and each is well worth the time in learning to enjoy. Is she a jazz singer? Who really cares when her time is so delicious, her swing so genuine, and her ability to resurrect and restore original lyrics so profound. Wesla was an actress at the outset of her career, but life threw her a curve ball. Since then she has built an imposing recorded legacy and established a strong reputation as a headliner in upscale venues across the United States, notably New York and San Francisco. Another in a long series of successful collaborations with husband/pianist Michael Greensill, this Irving Berlin songbook goes to places both longed-for and unexpected, with all the verses to these favourite or forgotten Berlin songs intact and swinging. They make a great team the two of them, and in addition to Michael's superb trio, have a couple great horn soloists along for the ride, Gary Foster with reeds and Marty Wehner on trombone. Wesla may be the Mabel Mercer of our time, a singer's singer with a totally unique sound and a love of song so intense that it outshines her need for the spotlight. Listen to this one and learn. |
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Jazz Times Review Artist: Whitfield, Wesla Title of CD: The Best Thing For You Would Be Me Record Label: HighNote Reviewed by Christopher Loudon in the Vox section of the June 2002 issue. |
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As Cy Coleman is to the New York cognoscenti, so Irving Berlin is to all folk, common or otherwise. Such is the magic of Berlin, that his songs not only stand the test of time but remain as equally resonant on the Upper East Side as they are in, say, Manhattan, Kan. Over the years, everybody from Ella to Doris Day has taken a satisfying dip or 12 into the Berlin songbook. Never before, though, has San Francisco's most prolific songbird, Wesla Whitfield, indulged us with an entire platter of Berlin tunes. Blessed with the rare ability to combine a keen jazz sensibility with a cabaret performer's respect for tradition, Whitfield is ideally suited to explore the subtle nuances that define the deceptive simplicity of Berlin's work. Dividing the 17 tracks that fill The Best Thing for You Would Be Me almost equally between ballads and uptempo numbers, and including an intriguing surprise or two among the standard fare, she provides her beautifully seasoned mezzo-soprano with a vigorous workout. In less experienced hands, Berlin chestnuts like "Remember," "How Deep Is the Ocean?" and "How About Me?" can sound creakily melodramatic. Whitfield, however, skillfully avoids excess sentiment by maintaining a gentle caress that's soft but never too sweet. Conversely, she knows precisely how to temper big, brassy numbers like "Blue Skies" and "There's No Business Like Show Business," never allowing the lyrics to become obscured by such songs' inherent bravado. Particularly impressive is her seamless blending of "You're Easy to Dance With" and "It Only Happens When I Dance With You," with "Change Partners" as a stimulating chaser. It's also a treat to hear her take a playful spin through the unfairly neglected "Not for All the Rice in China." There is, of course, a well-known secret to Whitfield's success. His name is Mike Greensill. As husband, arranger and accompanist, he is the yin to her yang. In other words, on album after album, the best thing for her has been him.  |
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