PREMIERA NAJNOWSZEJ WERSJI - GOLD 24K
Everything is fair game for pianist/vocalist/composer Patricia Barber. On the live COMPANION, Barber takes on Sonny and Cher's "The Beat Goes On," Bill Withers's "Use Me," and the Fleetwood Mac/Santana hit "Black Magic Woman," transforming each into a jazz-inspired vignette that tips its hat to its pop origins then moves blithely - and brazenly -- on. Other material is more jazz explicit: the dedicatory original "Like JT" is a tempo-changing instrumental inspired by the work of pianist Jacky Terrason that allows Barber to show off some fancy piano playing. "Let It Rain," "Touch of Trash" and "If This Isn't Jazz" are Baber opuses that display her talents for clever wordplay and engaging songform. With a voice that slyly slips its way into a lyric, Barber makes use of the potent power of understatement - hear her backdoor interpretation of Withers's normally high voltage "Use Me" or her mysterio-slinky take on "Black Magic Woman." For Barber the line between pop and jazz is getting thinner every day, and she couldn't be more pleased. David Cohen