Hannah Gill
Everybody Loves a Lover
(Turtle Bay Records)
August 16, 2023
Reviewed by Alix Cohen
After four beats into “Moonlight Savings Time” (Harvey Richman/Irving Kahal) and you’ll be grinning. Hannah Gill’s bright, slip/slide vocal saunters and is inviting. “I Fell in Love with a Dream” (Ella Fitzgerald/Irving Skye/Nate Goldsmith) revealed a back-of-throat ripple; the horns are mellow. It has a smooth foxtrot sway with an unexpectedly creamy guitar (Grey Ruggerio). A piano glissando by Gordon Webster) takes us out.
On “Put’em in a Box” (Jule Styne/Sammy Cahn), Gill swings the lyrics as if they were hammocks. There’s a twinkle in the song’s eye and the sashay of a full skirt above saddle shoes. Ryan Weisheit’s sax is declaratory and clean. The band supports the vocalist with a savory skip and twirl. “Everybody Loves a Lover” (Richard Adler/Robert Allen) arrives as a boola-boola collegiate jitterbug. “I feel about ten feet tah-all” Gill sings.
Her phrasing is short and snappy, and the piano takes off gleefully as the vocal deftly counterpoints itself.
Unfamiliar to me and my favorite on this CD is the Bernice Petkere/Joe Young “Lullaby of the Leaves.” The song pours like mmmolasses, the piano is insouciant, and the horns have a New Orleans feel. The bass of Tal Ronan is deft and gauzy, while Danny Jonokuchi’s trumpet seems aptly heavy-lidded. The word “lullaby” arrives in six syllables.
“What Can I Say After I Say I’m Sorry?” (Walter Donaldson/Abe Lyman) enters on understated brushes and a barely present cymbal (Ben Zweig). The lyrics are kept on low simmer, with each phrase seeming to dip and right itself. The piano peeks from behind the melody. A nervy clarinet by Ryan Weisheit adds texture.
“This Will Make You Laugh” (Irene Higginbotham) is a lineup of melancholy martinis. The lyrics have round edges. The band fans out like a velvet blanket. Sam Chess’ trombone comments with finesse as the clarinet responds and the guitar chimes in. “It’s a Sin to Tell a Lie” (Billy Mayhew) is a full-out, unbounded 1920’s romp. You can almost see the frisky footwork. The artists are having infectious fun. I dare you to sit still during this track; something’s gotta move. “You Were Only Fooling” (Larry Fotine/Ben Gordon/Billy Faber) and “Autumn Leaves” (Jacques Prevert/Joseph Kosma/Johnny Mercer) are, in my opinion, too zippy for their lyrics. Overall, this recording offers an enjoyable listening experience.
