Lento - Youn Sun Nah [LP with bonus CD of the album included]

All good

I'd heard of Youn Sun Hah before I caught her performing live at this year's "Jazz a Vienne" where her performance merited four standing ovations. The record features much of the material she performed but adds a percussionist to the trio of accordeon, guitar and bass. I must admit that I am not a facn o the ACT label althoguh I have a couoke of CD's by Vijay Iyer whose efforts are released by this European company. For me, too much of their output lacks the clout of labels which feature the big-hitting American artists and the pretention of offering something new and radical is made to look ridiculous by other labels such as Delmark. This is diffierent though. For a start, Youn Sun Nah's voice is simply amazing and her range is staggering. She doesn't sound particularly Asian and, thankfully, does have a faux-American accent either. Her voice is an extremely satisfying musical instrument. The band behind her are sensational - a model of restraint with the Walkenius' guitar being of particular merit. He sounds very much like Ralph Towner on this disc and it is hard to believe he is the same musician who worked with Oscar Peterson. As for the repertoire, I think the originals work especially well. However, when you include a tune as powerful as "Hurt" it is difficult to surpass this perfromance. "Moment Magico" is probably the track that stands out and reveals the singer's ability to greatest advantage. Some of the slower tunes like "Lament" , "Lento" and "Full Circle" are exceptional too. That said, there are some miscalculations. "Ghost riders in the sky" was corny to begin with and this interpretation is completely over-the-top and somewhat mars the CD as a whole. The Korean folk song is very nice but it hs very little to do with jazz. In conclusion, this is a fascinating record. Taken as a "pop" record, it trounces the competition. Recently I've been checking out Imogen Heap, for example, and the Korean surpasses the English singer by a country mile both with regard to her voice and her ability as a composer. As a jazz performance, I suppose she edges towards the style of someone like Norma Winstone as opposed to the more typical American singers. Tracks like "Moment Magico" fit squarely into a jazz category yet I think a wide range of bases are covered on this recording. I really like this effort and whilst there is obviously an argument to be had as to just how much this music is actually jazz, it is a fascinating disc that is hugely enjoyable.

Wonderful album - great voice and superb recording!