For those who like their jazz to fuse the classic and contemporary, Louise Rogers’ latest CD is the ideal accompaniment for a relaxing afternoon. Mellow and gentle, Come Ready and See Me doesn’t try to reinvent the wheel, but simply creates an aura of fun and warmth.

Featuring original arrangements of some classic songs (Kern & Hammerstein’s “The Song Is You” and the traditional “Lass From the Low Countree”) and some original pieces (“Be My Baby,” based on a poem by Nikki Giovanni and with music by Rogers and her husband/accompanist Rick Strong, and Rogers’ own “Shadows of Yesterday”), the album focuses on Rogers’ strengths as a jazz singer, letting her clear voice glide over notes. The band (including Strong, Matthew Fries, Mathias Kunzli, Paul Meyers and Gottfried Stoger on different tracks) also gets to shine in instrumental breaks in the numbers.

Bright and quite enjoyable, Come Ready and See Me is a fun album to match the warm days of spring and summer. 

Jena Tesse Fox
Cabaret Scenes
June 2008
www.cabaretscenes.org