A Squirt Gun to the Face of the Third Grade Teacher
Rick Cornell | Reno, Nv USA | 12/23/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I remember one of Roger Ebert's most memorable reviews, that of the original "Naked Gun." He said something like this: "Criticism of this movie is pointless. It's like critiquing a third grader who hits his teacher in the face with a water pistol."
Indeed. There are a few discs out there: I'm thinking of Leon Redbone's "On the Tracks" (the one with the cartoon dancing frog with the top hat); The Dirty Dozen Brass Band's "The New Orleans Album"; and Rebecca Kilgore's "I Saw Stars"--to name but three. Music which makes you smile, makes you laugh, makes you dance. Grab the nearest person or inanimate object and dance around the room-type dance.
Add this one to that list.
Ann Savoy, joined principally by Kevin Wimmer on the fiddle and Tom Mitchell on acoustic guitar, covers standards in English and French (Including "These Foolish Things," done as "Ces Petites Choses") and create some manic merriment. There are some movie producers out there who should listen to this disc!
If the disc were anything but this, I'd give it four stars. The three musicians are not always in balance. In particular, Ms. Savoy's voice often gets overwhelmed by the others, and sometimes cuts out.
But any music which gets my mojo working gets 5 stars. That's the deal. RC"
Singing Big Band / Jazz in English & French
CMW-Tzvi | Philadelphia, PA | 03/02/2010
(5 out of 5 stars)
"If you've heard Ann Savoy's previous albums (both her music with the Savoy Cajun Band/ the Savoy - Doucet Cajun Band & her duet album with Linda Ronstadt"Adieu False Heart", as well as solo albums), you may think you know what to expect from this album. You would be WRONG! Ann uses her experience in the cajun music scene well, but the numbers on this album are not her typical fare.
Here you get big band/ jazz songs from various well known sources: Benny Goodman, Django Reinhardt, Rodgers & Hart, Dorothy Fields & Jerome Kern, as well as others. Ann is definitely up to the change of pace, as are her backup players, the Sleepless Knights. Together they nail this material!
Track listing:
1. If Dreams Come True (Goodman-Mills-Sampson)
2. The Very Thought of You (Noble)
3. Melodie Au Crepuscule (Reinhardt)
4. Getting Some Fun Out of Life (Burke-Leslie)
5. If You Don't I Know Who Will (Brymm-Smith-Williams)
6. Ces Petites Choses (Stachez-Marvell)
7. Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered (Hart-Rodgers)
8. If Your Kisses Can't Hold the Man You Love (Ellis-Yellen)
9. It's Like Reaching for the Moon (Lewis-Marquessee-Sherman-Degroot, Jr.)
10. Si Tu Savais (Ulmer)
11. The Way You Look Tonight (Fields-Kern)
To close, I quote from the CD insert:
Ann Savoy never rests musically. ...With help from the Sleepless Knights... things go in a decidedly "Quintet De Hot Club" direction. She and the players have produced a hugely enjoyable and timeless recording.
Coming from Richard Thompson (of Fairport Convention fame), this is high praise indeed. I couldn't have stated it better myself..."
A "niche" album worth the listen
David Bradford | Cary, NC USA | 04/27/2008
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Turn the house lights down low. Focus the spots through the fog of Gitanes smoke. Welcome to a fantasy league gathering of the "Hot Club" ensemble from six decades past. Edith Piaf, Stephan Grappelli, and Django Rhinehardt live again in the persons of Ann Savoy & Her Sleepless Knights, a band featuring Tom Mitchell on guitar and Kevin Wimmer on violin. The core trio is fleshed out with a polished rhythm section, including two of Savoy's sons.
Ann Savoy brings solid credentials to this new project. She's previously stepped into the breach by recording an album of duets with Linda Ronstadt (against whom Ann held her own very convincingly), and she's paid her zydeco dues (as vocalist and guitarist) in numerous outings with her husband Marc Savoy (accordion) and Beausoleil fiddler Michael Doucet. She's approached French-inspired American music from an academic perspective as well, contributing to seminal publications about the music and its practitioners.
Here, she's digging deeper into her cultural context: all the way back to French cabaret. The opener, the Benny Goodman tune "If Dreams Come True," is likely the finest tune on the CD and the definitive statement of the band's intent: a cool little gypsy swing with deft and easy interplay between the three able musicians. The soporific Rogers and Hart piece "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered" showcases Ann Savoy's vocals against the beautifully turned accompaniment of Wilson Savoy's piano.
It's likely that a college degree in French has never been put to better use on either side of the Atlantic than Ann Savoy in her performances on this album. Her nearly vibratoless alto and dead-on intonation make for some ethereal listening. But be forewarned that this atmospheric collection is narrowly focused and geared low. Savoy has one pitch here and it's a slow curve.
Note: Copyright 2007 Elmore magazine and reprinted with permission."
Track Listings (11) - Disc #1