Cabaret Scenes CD Review

Looking at and beyond the established singers, you’ll lose count tallying up those recording standards nowadays. Sharing the repertoire and musical sensibilities, there are so many lesser-knowns and so many stars. So Many Stars is the title of the CD from one of the lesser-knowns deserving exposure: Ava Logan’s jazzy debut album is titled after the yearning song with a searching-for-your-place-in-the-world lyric by Marilyn and Alan Bergman with the appealing melody by Sergio Mendes and popularized by him and his Brasil ’66 group. This subject matter—being puzzled by forks in the road of life—shows her skills at phrasing and interpreting lyrics sensitively and with some appropriate tension. So does the similarly-themed “Detour Ahead” but she wisely take detours from any roads that would lead to overstatement, melodrama or grandstanding. One vocal duet, with well-matched reflective Henry Johnson (also the excellent guitarist, arranger, and producer), comes via a dreamy “Day Dream.”

She’s smart and shows her heart, but her heart may be in swinging. She does so breezily and easily in a way that’s light and bright (as is her youthful-sounding voice). She has solid jazzmates—the others are bassist Larry Gray, percussionist Leon Joyce (both from Ramsey Lewis’ trio) and classy pianist Larry Novak. They never upstage but at times are more laidback than necessary. Ava could hold her own if they’d heat things up, go a bit wild, throwing caution to the wind—which brings us naturally to “Wild Is the Wind.” The moody ballad is the longest track (6:50) but it’s a barely fluttering tropical slight breeze rather than monsoon-like: a very slow-moving wind indeed, with generous instrumental solos in the air.

A frolicking ”I Love Being Here with You” updates Peggy Lee’s lyric to include references to Denzel Washington and Michael Jordan. She keeps the earlier line praising Ella Fitzgerald—portraying that star in a Chicago stage musical is proudly on the resume of Illinois resident Ms. Logan. That’s Dr. Logan—the diva is a veterinarian by day(!)—thus the name of her record label, Diva Vet. And she’s also a “vet” of many gigs in the area; her unleashed singing talent on disc makes her our pet sound of the month.

Rob Lester
Cabaret Scenes
December 2008
www.cabaretscenes.org



	Ava Logan So Many Stars Diva Vet Music
Looking at and beyond the established singers, you’ll lose count tallying up those recording standards nowadays. Sharing the repertoire and musical sensibilities, there are so many lesser-knowns and so many stars. So Many Stars is the title of the CD from one of the lesser-knowns deserving exposure: Ava Logan’s jazzy debut album is titled after the yearning song with a searching-for-your-place-in-the-world lyric by Marilyn and Alan Bergman with the appealing melody by Sergio Mendes and popularized by him and his Brasil ’66 group. This subject matter—being puzzled by forks in the road of life—shows her skills at phrasing and interpreting lyrics sensitively and with some appropriate tension. So does the similarly-themed “Detour Ahead” but she wisely take detours from any roads that would lead to overstatement, melodrama or grandstanding. One vocal duet, with well-matched reflective Henry Johnson (also the excellent guitarist, arranger, and producer), comes via a dreamy “Day Dream.” She’s smart and shows her heart, but her heart may be in swinging. She does so breezily and easily in a way that’s light and bright (as is her youthful-sounding voice). She has solid jazzmates—the others are bassist Larry Gray, percussionist Leon Joyce (both from Ramsey Lewis’ trio) and classy pianist Larry Novak. They never upstage but at times are more laidback than necessary. Ava could hold her own if they’d heat things up, go a bit wild, throwing caution to the wind—which brings us naturally to “Wild Is the Wind.” The moody ballad is the longest track (6:50) but it’s a barely fluttering tropical slight breeze rather than monsoon-like: a very slow-moving wind indeed, with generous instrumental solos in the air. A frolicking ”I Love Being Here with You” updates Peggy Lee’s lyric to include references to Denzel Washington and Michael Jordan. She keeps the earlier line praising Ella Fitzgerald—portraying that star in a Chicago stage musical is proudly on the resume of Illinois resident Ms. Logan. That’s Dr. Logan—the diva is a veterinarian by day(!)—thus the name of her record label, Diva Vet. And she’s also a “vet” of many gigs in the area; her unleashed singing talent on disc makes her our pet sound of the month. Rob Lester Cabaret Scenes December 2008 www.cabaretscenes.org

Ava Logan

So Many Stars

Diva Vet Music