B.J. Ward & Donn Trenner (piano)
Double Feature: Love Songs from the Movies
(LML Music)
July 24, 2015
Reviewed by Rob Lester for Cabaret Scenes
Double Feature provides a worthwhile play and its title implies double wordplay: it features just two artists—vocalist B.J. Ward and veteran pianist Donn Trenner—and it’s subtitled and touted as Love Songs from the Movies. But, oddly, some of the 12 tracks included on this album whose front and back covers designs reinforce the stated theme, were not introduced in films, like the standard “Young and Foolish” from the Broadway musical Plain and Fancy, and how does noting that “I Love Being Here with You” was once heard on a television episode of Six Feet Under qualify its inclusion? Well, OK, some items were later incorporated into films, such as Glenn Miller’s theme, “Moonlight Serenade,” used in the movie about his life. It happens. “It Happens” actually happens to makes its debut on this disc, perhaps the album’s highlight, a collaboration of Arthur Hamilton and Trenner himself. OK, let’s forget the hijacked theme and not get too far off track from simply enjoying the tracks, like this nicely nuanced one, which is pretty easy to do with this skillful pair collaborating as they once did, with a band, in the long-ago days of vinyl.
Things start off a cappella with a joyous Ward snapping her fingers and crisply setting a rhythm and ending with vocal leaps for the title song of 1937’s I’ll Take Romance, thus she takes the approach from the trademark stylings of Eydie Gorme’s recording with arranger Don Costa. Absent a slam-bang band, Trenner must take his own romantic way, with even a mini-quote from “Tiptoe Through the Tulips.”
There are unusual choices here: the theme from Auntie Mame, with its rarely-heard lyric (“Drifting”)… and how about drifting and dreaming along with a lullaby for papa Satan’s and Rosemary’s Baby? Wistful and warm are qualities served up nicely, with both performers caressing Henry Mancini’s moody melodic line of “Whistling Away the Dark” from Darling Lili, though the credits miscredit the lyric to Marilyn & Alan Bergman and state that the film was from 1939 rather than 1970. Its actual lyricist, Johnny Mercer, is also well represented and well served by the treatment of “I Remember You” (melody: Victor Schertzinger). Ward’s ability to project playfulness, so well demonstrated on her prior CD of Marshall Barer’s wry lyrics, is a strong suit which sets her apart, and it gets exercised with the juicy and sly treatment of “Tulip or Turnip.” This Duke Ellington/Don George romp lets Donn don his long ago-earned jazz hat. The two seem to be having great fun, like two kids in a musical sandbox here. They don’t settle for just the “cute” qualities of this romp or over-emphasize that aspect. And, while not as richly rewarding or romantic as the more consistent match with vocalist Shaynee Rainbolt, Trenner is an asset to any singer lucky enough to work with him. And Ward can mostly ward off the blahs, her long side career as a chameleon doing character voices perhaps lets her naturally adopt various personae: the ebullient gal diving into love, the more experienced and worldly-wise woman, and the still-hopeful, but cautious adventurer.