Leslie Beukelman - Golden Daffodil (2020)

Golden Daffodil brilliantly displays Beukelman's introspective original compositions and her distinctive take on carefully selected standards. "Take the wheel, my beautiful friend; it's been a long night and I'm too tired, are the soft and begging opening lines of, "Dear Alice", the album opener. A sweet love song with an underlying darkness, "Dear Alice" sets the listener on a journey that reflects the changing seasons, describing the rise and fall of relationships and the clarity and excitement of renewal. In addition to showing Beukelman's vocal ability, "Golden Daffodil" shows the intimate interplay and long-lasting musical relationship between these four musicians. The Golden Daffodil players have performed together over the years and recorded in various contexts, including Rob Clearfield's Information Superhighway and Jon Deitemyer's Tall Tales, among others.
 
Beukelman and Rob Clearfield were created by a mutual love for Theo Bleckmann and Ben Monder's duos and started working together in the early 2000s. This time-honored connection is most evident in their compelling rendition of Hoagy Carmichael's "The Nearness of You," which appears towards the end of Golden Daffodil. Striking track 'Here's That Rainy Day' with Beukelman and bassist Patrick Mulcahy in a familiar conversation, while 'Secret Love' highlights a fun ball of melody, rhythm and dynamics between singer and drummer Jon Deitemyer. Other highlights include the rock-hard 'I'm Gonna Laugh You Out of My Life' and the original 'Days of Gray', which acts as a transition from winter to spring and the optimistic themes of the songs that follow.
 
Originally from Sandwich, IL, Beukelman has been a mainstay of the Chicago music scene for over fifteen years. Since 2008, she has appeared on a steady stream of recordings. Some, like her debut recording Here I Am and her work with Jon Deitemyer's Tall Tales (2016) are firmly planted in the jazz idiom, while others, like her EP Brite Lite 2013, and the recent self-titled debut with The Oh Yeahs lean towards singer-songwriter and folk sensibilities. Her diverse musical palette has garnered praise from both jazz and popular music critics.