Search - Betty Buckley :: Quintessence (Snyr)

Aural Peyote... And a New Jazz Classic

Ms. Mazeppa | Chicago, IL | 02/13/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I swear to God, if Betty Buckley's voice gets any more trance-y and fabulous, the DEA is gonna come down like a sack of rocks on this whole operation and ruin our fun. Within a couple of years the only way we'll be able to get a hold of her is with a prescription. Twenty years from now, we'll be sitting at the bar, regaling younger folks with unbelievable stories about how we used to be able to buy all the Betty Buckley music we wanted without even having to show ID. And how it was pure, uncut bliss.



Buy this CD now, before the feds find out. This is the good stuff.



After being so surprised and enchanted by her last release (1967) I was worried that Quintessence would seem diminished in comparison. 1967 was gleefully accessible, like a crisp set of short stories--following a couple of studio albums that were like friggin' Pynchon novels by contrast. (I.e., brilliant, but Lord God, demanding!) I feared that this new recording would go even further down the rabbit hole and I might need Cliff Notes. But yay for me! I don't!



This CD isn't simplistic, but it's something purer and more straightforward than her other more recent recordings. You might recall that some of Buckley's recordings have been kind of "jazzy". This is not "jazzy". This is Jazz. It's the real deal. It's going in my rotation between Miles Davis and Thelonious Monk. Yes, it's jazz like that. But don't be scared.



If you think you prefer Broadway Betty to Jazz Betty--if you think you're not a big fan of jazz--she will change your mind. Like three martinis and a well-timed kiss on the back of the neck, I promise, she will change your mind. She's changing my mind, and surely there is no bigger traditional show tune geek than I.



If you're already a fan of jazz, then get this recording. If you love Abby Lincoln, get this recording. If you love Stan Getz, get this recording. If you love Sheila Jordan, then God bless you! and definitely get this recording!



Now here's the thing that's really unique about what Betty Buckley does in music--and she does it so often and so hard all over this album that I suspect it really will be illegal within a matter of months: Like a really inspired jazz musician, she unpacks and deconstructs melodies with some kind of post-modern ferocity. Nothing is sacred. But unlike many jazz singers, she also inhabits lyrics in a way that recalls the best of the great method actors. An example: I must own at least a dozen recordings of "Stardust". I know the song well and certainly know the lyrics. So why is it that only tonight, after listening to her recording of it, do I feel like I understand what that song is really about? I thought I understood it, thought I knew it. But no. Now I think I really get it. She has a unique ability to both contain the melody completely, and be contained by the lyrics completely. Now I'm not coming right out and saying that Betty Buckley sold her soul to the devil to be able to do both of these things at the same time. That's between her and the devil. But I would hope, for the devil's sake, that she is also doing the devil's laundry and washing the devil's car. Because I'm not sure a soul alone is a fair enough trade for what she got.



Quintessence can fairly be divided into two acts. Tracks 1 through 6 make up the first act, and they are a pure jazz masterwork. I've never been more at ease than here with Kenny Werner's arrangements and her studio accompaniment. I had wondered about her choice of "The Surrey with the Fringe on Top" since it has a fairly high cheesiness quotient. But what Buckley and Werner do with it is create one of those withering jazz classics, reshaping the identity of the song. They that do that melodic deconstruction deal-with-the-devil thing, inverting this piece over and over until you see in something familiar an entirely new image. Put on head-phones to listen to this track, turn out the lights, and you're likely to have an out of body experience and maybe a three minute chat with your spirit-guide.



All part of why the DEA is probably on our tails right now.



I can't say this is exactly the album I want it to be. On previous recordings, Buckley and Werner have occasionally assembled medleys that I don't quite get. And "Dindi/How Insensitive" is the one I'm struggling with now. (I should admit here, I think Sinead O'Connor did a rather definitive recording of "How Insensitive" many years ago in which the listener is stalked by the vague sense that her love affair may have ended because she hacked up her lover's body and left it in a series of suitcases strewn along the interstate. In light of that shuddering echo, it's hard for me to connect that song to "Dindi".)



The second act of Quintessence is where Buckley more familiarly pokes at the unexplored recesses of musical theater with her big jazz-inflected pokin' stick. Imagine my surprise to find the two Sondheim songs to be the least impressive of the whole collection. "No One Is Alone" covers a bit of new ground, but "Anyone Can Whistle" seems to fall into that old Kenny Werner trap where no possible orchestral curlique is left un-curlied. It's just too damn much for one of the simplest songs Sondheim ever wrote.



But you needn't be disheartened if you feel you've heard this second act before. With "Something's Coming" she's done something I thought impossible: She's recorded a studio version I prefer to her live recording of the song. Very strong shades of Dave Brubeck here. It's the coolest and freshest thing shaken out of the score of West Side Story since the show was new.



And like any really well produced recording, this one has a stirring coda ("Get Here"). What used to sound like a goofy love song now sounds like a prayerful procession through grief and recovery.



I didn't think I would, but I love that this is a jazz recording. I love that it feels like Betty Buckley has reached another important peak on her musical journey and that she's showing us the amazing view from the top. Most of all, I love that we can access all this trippy adventure for so little expense. At least until someone tips off the feds."

Like Falling in Love---Again.

LSBHawaii | Honolulu, Hawaii | 02/16/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I consider myself to be fairly verse on the works of BB and consider her one of America's top performers. To me, this collection like several of her other collections wasn't "love at first listen". With that said, I would encourage anyone that is having second thoughts about whether to purchase this disk, especially after hearing a sampling of a few songs, to take a leap of faith. "Quintessence", like much of her later works is an acquired taste that you will find addictive, once you've let it breath. I knew this was to be a jazz collection, but I really had a hard time adjusting to the tempo, sharpness, and bluntness of the arrangements even though I appreciate and listen to jazz. I believe I had to overcome three obstacles before becoming "hooked". First, I think it is hard to hear new arrangements of songs one already loves and think the newer versions are better or equally as good. Secondly, adjusting to a "different performer" that to me is such a departure from the "familiar performer " simply takes a few plays. Lastly and most importantly, I believe the "mood" of the listener determines how one may or may not accept what he or she is hearing. One might ask why I felt it important to make these three points? Easy, I didn't like or appreciate this new collection of work for those three reasons in my first week of listening. Now, after a couple of weeks of listening I am forever hooked and reminded as to why I love her music. When Betty Buckley sings, not only do you hear the music, it is as if you can see and feel the music, too. I love being able to go from the Broadway of "Children Will Listen" to the jazz club of "Quintessence". Bravo Betty!!!"

Betty Is Still The Cats Meow !

Michael A. Coviello | Waterbury,Ct. USA | 04/05/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Whether Betty Buckley is singing Broadway tunes like "Something's Coming" from Westside Story and "The Surrey with The Fringe On Top" from Oklahoma or putting her own spin on such songs like "Cry Me A River", her voice truly remains one of the great wonders of the world! I would,personally, listen to her sing the alphabet. I love her that much! Betty and her arranger and pianist of almost 18 years,Kenny Werner, bring out the best in each other. She uses her rich,strong voice on each song to paint a very vivid picture. I highly recommend this cd. It is a very worthy listening experience."