CHUCK BERGERON

BASS & FACE, DUETS WITH TEN PREMIER VOCALISTS

Summit Records

What a unique twist, to pair vocalists with a prolific bassist and record an entire album with the original instrument of voice aligned with Chuck Bergeron’s awesome double bass!

Bergeron opens this project featuring the vocals of Janis Siegel. The tune is “Occasional Man.”  Bergeron and Siegel swing the composition.  Siegel is one of the founding members of the famous Manhattan Transfer vocal jazz group, one of the most commercially successful, Grammy-winning vocal jazz groups in history. After unfolding the catchy lyrics, Siegel scats her way across Bergeron’s tasty dancing bass lines.

On the Johnny Mandel tune, “Emily,” Chuck Bergeron opens the tune beautifully with his solid bass melodic approach.   While living in Seattle, WA for several years, he worked regularly with vocalist Kendra Shank.  She always set aside part of her show to share the spotlight with Bergeron. She called it their ‘Bass and Face’ time.  He may have borrowed his album title from that catchy description.

On “Emily” he features vocalist Pete McGuinness, who enters the song like a saxophone, scatting up to his lyrical entry.  After singing the song down once, he solos like an alto sax. The duet trades fours on this tune, with Bergeron stating his musical bass monologue and McGuinness answering him vocally.  Together, they sound smooth as silk.

“I have known Pete since we were in college together in the 80s.  He is an incredibly gifted musician, … a talented trombone player, … clever arranger, a terrific vocalist who sings the changes,” Chuck Bergeron piles praise on McGuinness.

This album is stuffed with respected jazz vocalists like Roseanna Vitro, Kevin Mahogany, and the historic Sheila Jordan. Bergeron picked from the Woody Herman Band, George Rabbai who plays trumpet and sings “I Thought About You.”  He adds Lisanne Lyons who sings “Detour Ahead” and the late Kevin Mahoghany who gives an emotional performance on “Duke Ellington’s Sound of Love” and also sings “Two Degrees East, Three Degrees West.”  This arrangement includes a full rhythm section.

“I worked with Kevin for several years. …Kevin had an incredible instrument, similar to that of the great johnny Hartman, and his voice could fill any concert hall. Being from Kansas City, Kevin’s style was also rooted in Blues traditions, similar to those of Big Joe Turner, whom Kevin played in the Robert Altman film Kansas City.  He could also sing great bop lines, like a horn player,” Chuck Bergeron recalls.

Kate Reid, with her smokey tone and stylized voice sings “Davil May Care” and Nicole Yarling tells the story of the “Audubon Zoo/ Iko-Iko” that includes Yarling’s awesome violin solo. Bergeron has been playing music with Yarling for over 25-years. She is a Miami pillar in the jazz education department and plays a mean violin.  Deborah Silver sings “Analog” and they close the album with pianist Phil Strange stepping into the spotlight. This is a bonus track, offering the familiar New Orleans anthem, “Do You Know What it Means” as a ‘closer.’  This arrangement gives Chuck Bergeron an opportunity to shine on his double bass instrument.

Here is a wonderful celebration of bass and voice. It also shines a bright light on Chuck Bergeron’s exceptional talents as a bass soloist and sensitive accompanist.

Reviewed by Dee Dee McNeil

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