AprilCadence2013

Photo Credit: ken Weiss
RObeRt D. Rusch
got interested in jazz
in the early 1950s
and beginning with
W.C. Handy has since
interviewed hundreds of
musicians. In 1975 he
started Cadence Magazine,
handing it over to David
Haney in January 2012.
He has produced over
600 recording sessions
of unpopular music
and currently paints
unpopular canvases.
Papatamus:
A collection of sometimes
disparate material
though generally relating
to music recordings or
performances.
TranscripTion
from audio
listen to
robert at www.
cadencejazzmagazine.
com.
Transcribed by
Paul Rodgers
28 | CadenCe Magazine | april May June 2013
Column Papatamus TitleRobert
D. Rusch
Hard to believe it’s 2013 already, but here
we are with a 2013 edition of Papatamus,
where I will try to convey to you records that I
found notable, usually in a positive way, over
the last three months. I listen to hundreds—literally
hundreds—of recordings every month;
these are the ones that caught my ear.
Singer Elizabeth Shepherd has recorded an
intriguing set of songs on a record entitled Rewind
on the Linus label, Linus #270165. The tunes, Love
for Sale, Poinciana, Lonely House, Feeling Good,
Midnight Sun, Sack of Woe, Buzzard Song, When You
are Near, Born to Be Blue, Prelude to a Kiss, and two
with French that I’m sure to mangle—one is called
Pourquoi Tu Vis and the other is called Les Amour
eux Des Bancs Publics. Not sure what they mean.
[BREAk IN RECORDING] set of standards, Ms.
Shepherd’s insightful notes, and the effect of
being eight months pregnant on the recording, are
as intriguing as the music is. Here is more or less
familiar material, and it’s handled quite originally,
and still with the familiar references that make
them standards. She enunciates wonderfully,
and she’ll draw you in with her standards—
her original interpretation is what I should say.
It’s recorded over different times, and the
cumulative personnel is Colin kingsmore
on drums and percussion, Scott Kemp on
double bass, Ross MacIntyre on double bass,
Mark kelso on drums, Denzil Sinclair assists
on vocals on one track—that’s on Prelude
to a Kiss—Andrew Downing double bass,
Rob Schwager on guitar, Kevin Turcott on
trumpet, David Travers-Smith on trumpet,
and Johannes Hoclist on stereophonic snaps.
So if you like vocals and want to hear a dozen of
them attacked rather refreshingly and poignantly,
search out this record by Elizabeth Shepherd. It’s
a Canadian label and, again, it’s on Linus 270155.
Last Papatumus, I raved about a singer named
Gregory Porter for the content-driven lyrics, and
in the same vein comes a record by somebody
who calls himself Ju—J-U—Positively Pessimistic.