Krisanthi Pappas - A Centennial Tribute To George & Ira Gershwin (2012)

Krisanthi Pappas' second album honoring the works of George and Ira Gershwin has established her as a credible interpreter of two giants of the great American songbook. Possessing a clear soprano voice with excellent diction and paying close attention to the meaning of the words she is singing, Pappas delivers Gershwin in a jazzier manner than other albums honoring Gershwin in his centennial year. Susannah McCorkle's Gershwin effort Someone to Watch over Me is done in her inimitable purring and sensuous style while Pappas just bounces along. Even the ballads have a lilt to them. Pappas also provides a bonus by singing the verses to many of the songs either as an introduction to the chorus or in between the first and second choruses. A nice touch. There are two non-Gershwin melodies on this album, both by Pappas. The first, "If I Had Only Known," is a lament to her late discovery of the joys of Gershwin's music. The second, "Oh! What a Day," is a lively celebration of that discovery. Pappas cleverly segues back and forth between her happy words and Gershwin's "Strike Up the Band" and "S'Wonderful" to display her considerable scatting skills. Much of the success for this CD has to be shared with the supporting cast of players. Bill Duffy's piano is prominent on several of the cuts -- listen to his minimalist, well-spaced approach on "They Can't Take that Away from Me." On the same song, John Payne's Lester Young-like tenor is heard to great effect -- as is his flute on "Oh! What a Day" and his clarinet on "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off." The respected educator and performer Herb Pomeroy's muted trumpet graces "Embraceable You." Preusser's drums and Smith's bass lay a solid but unobtrusive foundation throughout. The Pappas interpretation of "Summertime" may raise the eyebrows of Gershwin purists with her vocal gyrations delivered over Smith's backbeat and Payne's raucous sax. Arguably, this bluesy, down-and-dirty reading is in harmony with the sometimes violent and always passionate storyline of Porgy and Bess. ~Dave Nathan