REBECCA KILGORE

A LITTLE TASTE

Cherry Pie Music

Rebecca Kilgore, vocals; Randy Porter, piano; Tom Wakeling, bass; Todd Strait, drums; Tim Jensen, piccolo/flute; Dick Titterington, trumpet/flugelhorn; John Moak & Dan Barrett, trombone; STRINGS: Nelly Kovalev, Lucia Atkinson, violins; Hillary Oseas, viola; Hamilton Cheifetz, cello.

For me, before I even put the CD into my player, one thing added interest to this recording. It was that Rebecca Kilgore is featuring the music of composer and lyricist, Dave Frishberg. Once I began to listen, the other thing noteworthy was the wonderful plush orchestrated accompaniment that enriches this production. Producer/arranger, Dick Titterington knocked it out the park!

I can tell immediately that Kilgore has been singing for a while and she is a seasoned vocalist who can ‘swing.’ Also, she makes me believe every word she sings.  She’s a teller of stories.  That’s something most singers learn over time, how to sell their songs and make them believable.  Kilgore opens with “A Little Taste,” the tune is textured by a sweeping string section with Tim Jensen soaring on both piccolo and flute.  This is followed by “Our Love Rolls On” showcasing Kilgore comfortable singing with only a trio. The arrangement on “Peel me a Grape” was absolutely beautiful, arranged as a slow swing with sweeping strings laughing in the background. It’s a pleasant surprise when the strings step into the spotlight to harmonically solo. Kilgore slow-swings her way through “Little Did I Dream” that has the perfect tempo for these bubbly lyrics that she enunciates so perfectly, as they tumble over each other in a jazzy cascade.  Her comedic delivery of the smart, funny lyrics to “Brenda Starr” (a comic character from the 1940s pages of the Sunday Chicago Tribune that became an international syndicated column) are perfectly sung.  Arranged with a Latin groove, “Telephone Song” is one of two songs not written by Frishberg. The other one is “Ah, So Pure” from the opera ‘Martha, 1848.’  In my opinion. neither of these songs live up to the Kilgore/Frishberg format. They somehow take away from the original premise.  Rebecca Kilgore & Dave Frishberg have had a close relationship for years.  They have performed and recorded together in the past, interpreting songs by Frank Loesser and these two songs as well.

I was happy to hear the waltz arrangement with words by Dave Frishberg and music by Johnny Mandel on “You Are There.”  Frishberg has a way with lyrics, matching them to melodies like no other. They close with “Eastwood Lane” (music by Dan Barrett with words by Frishberg) played as a two-feel ballad and featuring Dan Barrett on trombone.

This is an album full of spectacular music, great arrangements, and excellent musicianship.  Rebecca Kilgore is a seasoned vocalist who offers an easy-listening, but very swinging performance. In 2020, Rebecca Kilgore was named Portland Jazz Master by PDX jazz, Portland’s nonprofit organizer of jazz concerts. She was inducted to the Oregon Music Hall of Fame and the Jazz Society of Oregon’s Hall of Fame. In 2014, she was honored as a jazz legend at the San Diego Jazz Party. This new album will be released October 28, 2024 and supports her legacy.

Reviewed by Dee Dee McNeil

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