Typhanie Monique - Call It Magic (2017)

Tracklist
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01. Magic
02. Just Friends
03. This Bitter Earth
04. What Is This Thing Called Love/ This Thing
05. Heart of the Matter
06. Where Is Love / Love Is
07. Called Love
08. Sister/ Miss Celie's Blues
09. Letting My Love Go
10. Don't Get Around Mueh Anymore


Call it Magic is vocalist Typhanie Monique’s fourth release as a leader and the first without the guitarist Neal Alger. Monique interprets a wide variety of intriguingly rearranged jazz and pop standards with agility and elegance. Her intimate approach to these songs and unique, expressive style results in a thematic cohesiveness despite the diversity of the source material. For instance, on Coldplay’s “Magic,” Monique’s smoky, honeyed voice burns with passion through the melodic fabric that pianist Ben Lewis’ evocative tones create. Saxophonist and arranger Jim Gailloreto’s lilting orchestral sounds buoy Monique’s warm articulation of the heady lyrics. Over bassist Josh Ramos and drummer Dana Hall’s percolating rhythms, Lewis takes a darkly hued solo before Monique’s tender, wistful singing concludes the tune on a quiet note.

Monique also sizzles on “What Is This Thing Called Love?/ This Thing,” a medley of Cole Porter’s classic composition and one of her own Porter-inspired originals. Her phrases undulate sensually around organist Tony Monaco’s resonant, dense chords. Hall drives this energetic, funky rendition with his lithe, propulsive beats. “Called Love” has a spiritual feel as the introspective and somber Hammond B3 creates a haunting ambience. The leader’s vocals, tinged with melancholy, soar over the earthy and uplifting organ soliloquy like a prayer.

Monique endows Clay Otis’ “This Bitter Earth” with a late-night cabaret atmosphere. Her sensual, wistful performance echoes against Hall’s soft brushes, Lewis’ chiming keys and Ramos’ reverberating bass lines. Midway, the mood becomes more dramatic with the entry of arranger Paul Von Mertens’ hypnotic string refrains. Tenor saxophonist Joel Frahm contributes an emotive and muscular improvisation.

With this, her most accomplished work to date, Monique thrills with her sublime balance of spontaneity and maturity. Her choice of pieces showcases her stimulating versatility. Call It Magic is a new milestone in her brilliant career. Hopefully it won’t be another eight years before she records again.

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