Dolores Scozzesi never fails to please on her debut CD, A Special Taste, which is a truly delicious taste. Her voice is almost intoxicating—a “tasty” combination of intense passion, vulnerability and warm breathiness. She also has a remarkable command of her lyrics, choosing an eclectic mix of songs covering almost every decade from the 1920s to the present. The arrangements are unique and interesting and the musicians always spot on, with some terrific instrumental solos throughout. This makes for an infinitely listenable jazz CD.

The first track, a wonderful arrangement (by Eli Brueggemann) of Cy Coleman and Carolyn Leigh’s “You Fascinate Me So,” starts off with a nice cha-cha beat, but then moves through various styles, each change always complementing the lyrics. She treats us to two brilliant, original takes on Bob Dylan. The Andalusian flamenco arrangement (also Brueggemann) of “One More Cup of Coffee” gives a driving rhythm to the song, and the singer makes us feel real urgency for that cup of coffee. “Just Like a Woman” changes gears musically, to a soothing groove (arranged by Scozzesi and Gary Fukushima) and some wonderful guitar accompaniment (Goh Kurosawa). Scozzesi conveys the emotion simply and honestly, which makes the song take flight. “My One and Only Love” (Guy Wood, music/Robert Mellin, lyrics) is a haunting and beautifully delivered ballad, stripped to a bare minimum. In Jon Lucien’s “Listen Love” and her title track, “Jazz Is a Special Taste” (Phillip Swann, music/Mark Winkler, lyrics), Scozessi conveys a real passion in her storytelling. “Stay Out of the Moonlight” (Tom Culver, lyrics/Effie Joy, music) took a while to catch me, but in the end I found it beckoning me back.

The CD ends with a lovely guitar accompaniment (Grant Geissman, arrangement and guitar) of “Autumn Leaves”/”Les feuilles mortes” (Joseph Kosma, music/Jacques Prevert, French lyrics/Johnny Mercer, English lyrics). She begins the song singing in a tasty, sultry French, then moves into English, which is intense in its simplicity. The tempo picks up slightly when Scozessi treats us to some wonderful vocalese, which she wrote herself. It’s the icing on the cake.

This is a nicely presented CD—the graphics look good and, after hearing the CD, they convey exactly what’s on the recording. This is a terrific debut for Dolores Scozessi. I look forward to the next one!

Harold Sanditen
Cabaret Scenes
September 2011
www.cabaretscenes.org