Search - Jerry Brown, Jimmy Rowles :: Timeless Place

A Lovely Album

Gary L Connely | Hercules, CA | 03/15/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Here's a flat declaration for you: Nobody singing jazz today has a better voice than Jeri Brown, and few singers are as good. Ms Brown has a voice that most singers would sell their souls for - a four octave range when most are lucky to span two. She is capeable of considerable vocal fireworks, but "A Timeless Place" finds her in a quieter, more introspective mood.



"A Timeless Place" is a set of songs composed by Jimmy Rowles, (some with lyrics by Johnny Mercer, Norma Winstone or Sheryl Ernst), who joins Ms Brown on the album, along with bassist Eric Von Essen. Mr Rowles, (who passed away in 1996), was a fine, main stream, bop pianist, who accompanied many legendary singers, including Billie Holiday, Peggy Lee and Ella Fitzgerald. He and Ms Brown are an almost perfect musical fit, (I love Mr Rowles' remark concerning Ms Brown: "She's outstanding... she has a really pretty voice... I don't normally like scat singers, those scooby-doo people, but she does something different with it").



By the way, the song "A Timeless Place" is Mr Rowles' classic "The Peacocks," with lyrics by Norma Winstone. It is a lovely piece - which, now that I think of it, pretty much describes the whole album.



The sonics are excellent - not audiophile quality - but clear, precise and warm."