Nancy King was a vocalist unknown to me until the past year or so. This release, although recorded in 2004 at New York’s Jazz Standard, wasn’t released until 2006 on the wonderful and sorely missed Maxjazz label. I recall seeing a good amount of critical acclaim around this record, but it wasn’t until recently that I was made aware of it again and took the time to sit down and listen. I’m so glad that I did. This collaboration between pianist Fred Hersch and Nancy King is not merely a pleasant listen, it’s an absolute treasure.
Although the setlist doesn’t stray too far from the American standards, the interpretations here are born out of a deep understanding of their meaning, and not a syllable or note goes to waste. At age sixty-four King’s phrasing is more agile than one would expect. Her voice’s character is rich, endued with a well-worn wisdom born out of life’s difficult lessons. She knows this music well and the performances are convincing — these songs are hers as much as they are anybody’s to sing.
Starting off with “There’s a Small Hotel”, the duo exhibits a relaxed confidence from the very start. The interpretation of the melody has a quality of quaintness, respecting of the song’s lyric. The solos are more adventurous from the start then one would expect, and both Hersch and King have a wonderful ability to stay within the form while maintaining an inventive approach.
Following up with “I Fall in Love Too Easily” King’s sigh towards the end is one that is felt, a sigh of significance – not one that is orchestrated. The final chord here doesn’t explicitly resolve the tension, but is suspended and mysterious. This is just one example of some of the delicate brushstrokes that exist throughout this recording.
On “Everything Happens to Me”, a wonderful song that dates back to 1940, King sings
“Guess I’ll go through life just catching colds and missing trains / cause everything happens to me.”
And later…
“I fell in love just once / why did it have to be you? / Why does everything happen to me?”
Although I don’t wish to make too much of a point in regards to King’s age, this would not be the same album were it recorded earlier in King’s career. One can’t help but be reminded of Joni Mitchell’s “Both Sides Now” album from 2000 where, at age 55, she recorded standards and re-visited some of her early songs. The point is that there is a certain gravity to those performances, and the songs take on a different, and I would argue greater, significance as time passes. The same is the case with the material here.
Although the ballads here are a highlight, this record has its playful and even humorous moments with both King and Hersch showing their dexterity on more uptempo numbers “Ain’t Misbehavin” and “Four” – two performances that you can help but smile to.In the end, the only thing I’m unsure of is why Nancy King doesn’t have the popularity of some of the other big name vocalists in Jazz? I’ll leave that for another discussion. I am sure of this – “Live at Jazz Standard” is uncommonly good, and I hope you’ll agree.
