Beverley Beirne - Dream Dancer (2021)

Beverley Beirne is a well-respected jazz singer who has enjoyed success both in live performances, and with her album releases. They include the fun-filled Jazz Just Wants to Have Fun, released in 2018, and The Ilkley Suite, a beautiful homage to the countryside composed by Jamil Sheriff that was commissioned by the Ilkley Jazz Festival to mark its fifth year. This was very different in approach and feel with more improvised and free playing, showing Beirne’s aptitude for different styles of music.

On Dream Dancer, Beirne has enlisted top-notch musicians including Rob Hughes (Heather Small, ABC, Rob Hughes Trio) on saxophone and flutes, Sam Watts (Curima Trio, Cosmo Sound Collective, Rob Luft Quintet) on piano, Flo Moore (a Jazz Just Wants to Have Fun alum who’s also collaborated with Pete King, Jason Rebello, Gene Calderazzo, Zoe Rahman, Henry Lowther, Anita Wrdell, Tom Barford quintet and more) on bass, and Ben Brown (Jean Toussaint, Liam Noble, Rebecca Ferguson and more) on drums. Their presence adds quality and depth in support of Beirne’s sumptuous, alto voice.

Dream Dancer is a delight to listen to, not only for Beirne’s voice but the musical arrangements and the exceptional soloists’ support and underpinning to the voice lines. There is, at times, also great interaction between voice and instrument whether sax, bass or piano, and that is always good to hear as it creates a cohesiveness to the sound. Out on the ever-strong 33Jazz label, Beverley Beirne’s new album can’t top Jazz Just Wants to Have Fun, but rather shows a completely different side and strength to her performance.