NATALIE JACOB

SOONER OR LATER

Independent label

Natalie Jacob, vocals; Tamir Hendelman, piano/arranger; Anthony Wilson, guitar; Carlitos Del Puerto, bass; Kevin Winard, percussion; Clayton Cameron, drums; Scotty Barnhart, trumpet/producer.

Natalie Jacob and producer Scotty Barnhart have chosen ten familiar standard jazz tunes to showcase Natalie’s pretty voice.  She opens with a slow swing arrangement of “Exactly Like You” followed by the familiar Antonio Carlos Jobim tune, “Wave” featuring Anthony Wilson on a spirited guitar solo.

Carlitos Del Puerto introduces “I could Write A Book” on his bass. Natalie Jacob’s voice floats confidently above the walking bassline, singing us the story.  Midway through, Carlitos takes an impressive bass solo. Jacob has a nice way of playing with the melody to these familiar songs.  First, adhering to the “old school” standard, she sings the songs down like the composer wrote them.  But when she repeats the tunes, she adds her own improvised notes and surprise phrasing.

Tamir Hendelman is the pianist and arranger on this project.  He and Jacob duet on Charlie Chaplin’s “Smile” composition, arranged as a ballad. Hendelman is a superb accompanist and a master musician. Natalie Jacob has been on the Los Angeles jazz scene for many years, as a member of various bands.   She was the lead singer for Bluenova, a jazz quintet.  She also sang with a Long Beach, California based Latin jazz band.  More recently, Jacob has been the featured vocalist with the Paul McDonald Big Band.

Jacob swings hard with drummer Clayton Cameron perpetuating the energy forward like a jet plane. She sings “What A Little Moonlight Can Do” with gusto and competence. Scotty Barnhart takes an amazing trumpet solo, as does Hendelman on piano, with fingers flying.  Jacob shows that she can swing with the best of them.  On “Corcovado” she sings in both English and French.  Natalie’s mother is French Canadian, so Natalie spent a lot of time with her family in Montreal, Canada.  She can also sing in Portuguese, Italian and Spanish.

Natalie Jacob sings her bluesy rendition of the title tune, “Sooner or Later” composed by Stephen Songheim. Her voice is suited for the blues, using specific inflections on the lyrics that make me believe her.  She closes with an exciting Hendelman arrangement of “No More Blues.”  This album will be available to the public on August 2, 2024.

Reviewed by Dee Dee McNeil

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