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"A CD you’ll want to revisit again and again. I love it!" - Anita Wardell
Trudy Kerr’s ninth album. Reunion on the Jazzizit label, sees her teaming up with her long-time friend, the Australian jazz chanteuse, Ingrid James. Between them, they deliver an eclectic selection of jazz, latin and folk songs by composers such as Chick Corea, Bob Dorough, Baden Powell and Carole King.
Trudy and Ingrid laid down the album's thirteen tracks at the Clowns Pocket Studios in Kent. Song titles include a swinging version of This Could Be the Start of Something Big inspired by Jon Hendricks; Dancing on the Ceiling with a vocalese penned by Georgie Fame; Cry No More by Baden Powell and Soft Shoe based on the original Gerry Mulligan Quartet arrangement. Trudy and Ingrid provided the words for the vocalese on Soft Shoe and the complete lyrics for Bud Powell's A Little Crazy aka Un Poco Loco.
"When Trudy first asked me if I'd like to record an album with her during a recent visit to London, it felt like the most natural thing to do," says Ingrid, talking about how the album came about. Both singers had sung together in Australia 20 years ago. "I was excited at the prospect of revisiting that wonderful time when our voices would meld so freely and so effortlessly."
From opposite sides of the planet, rehearsing was no problem thanks to the latest Skype technology and once repertoire and arrangements were complete, Reunion was recorded in London over two very intensive days in July 2009. "Jazz has always been at the heart of Ingrid's and my friendship," says Trudy, "so making repertoire choices was quite easy – even though we are two very different singers, our influences over the years have been similar."
Over the last decade in particular, Trudy and Ingrid have led parallel musical lives in jazz performance and voice education. They have been able to observe each other from a great distance, and watch each other grow as individuals. Reunion represents a coming together of these two great jazz singers on opposite sides of the world, showing the musical empathy which they both share.
With Geoff Gascoyne (acoustic bass), Tom Cawley (piano) and Seb de Krom (drums).
