Search - Jay Clayton :: Circle Dancing

Worthy Clayton, but be careful.

Samuel Chell | Kenosha,, WI United States | 06/02/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The proper title of the album is "Circle Dancing," recorded in Seattle in 1996 and produced and released in France in 1997. It's hard to come by but probably essential if you're a Jay Clayton fan. In fact, Downbeat's June '04 issue lists it among the top 30 vocal jazz albums of all time as selected by present-day jazz singers.Frankly, I'd put this one slightly behind "Beautiful Love," "Brooklyn 2000," and the 2 albums recorded at Jazz Alley. It does, admittedly, show off Jay's versatility, in repertory as well as styles. She scats all the way on "Beginner," hits a nice swinging groove on "Thinking of You," pulls at heartstrings on the torchy "Goodbye." She also experiments with incorporating legit poetry, using her voice strictly for instrumental texture in the ensembles, and doctoring her tones with electronic gadgets (in "real time" and tastefully). Impressive and fresh, but not as consistently engaging as some of her other recorded work."

Took my breath away:)

Judles | Seattle, Washington | 06/02/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Her talent touches your heart. He voice is so pure and flows you to the most unexpected places. Her renditions are unique and inspired. She takes jazz and instead of imitating those before her, she designs a style truly jazz and beautiful. I intend to listen to it often, too much to get in just one or two listenings. This album is a joy."

An Acrobat Without a Net

Rick Cornell | Reno, Nv USA | 10/28/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Normally when I write reviews of these c.d.'s, I insist upon having the disc with the liner notes at the least. As I see it, these artists went out of their way to create art, and the least I can do in acknowledgement of that is to get my facts right.



In this case, I am writing without the notes, and that makes me feel like an acrobat on a tightrope without a net. But in this case there's a reason:



I ran into a friend of mine today, a choreographer who has created dances for modern dances. I said, "I have the perfect c.d. for you, and I happen to be listening to it right now." So, I loaned it to her, with the hopes that she might create a dance to "Sometimes," track #9 and for me the most impressive cut of this most impressive disc.



But it's only right that I feel like an acrobat without a net in writing this, since I'm sure that Jay Clayton felt like that in creating the art on this recording.



This disc is a mix of free jazz (notably, the title track and the above-referenced track), hard bop (notably, "Beginner" and the second part of "Inky Ink"), artsong (notably, "Ebony"), and one standard (the Rachmaninoff-inspired "I Think of You"). It is all exquisitely done. In listening to this, I was reminded of my favorite Ornette Coleman recording, "Live at the Golden Circle." As there, here you have a bunch of essentially unknown musicians that go from fractured sound to melody reduced to its essence, all on a dime. The results are always interesting, and sometimes exhilarating.



My one critique here is the sound. It is dull and the piano is out of tune. And if the disc were something else (e.g., all standards with a piano trio), that would be a huge minus. But considering what the disc is, the sound adds to the "underground feel" of the production.



I wanted to purchase this c.d. for years, but it had always been on my "some day" list. Recently a friend purchased it for my birthday. What can I say but "Happy Birthday To Me!" RC



p.s.-The choreographer friend returned the disc to me. She says she loves it - not merely "Sometimes," but the whole thing. Modern dance choreographers of America, take note!"