Quiet Elegant Grace
author: Ed Goodstein
This album is a wonderful duet set. Riccards and Romano give the impression of sitting and playing/singing right in your living room, and the material is just adventurous enough to hold surprises, as well as having some very individual takes on familiar songs. The inclusion of Paul Simon's 'Kathy's Song' (wonderful take on that possibly even superior to Simon & Garfunkel's original), and Joni Mitchell's 'Both Sides Now' give a bit of a folk cast, and there's a little r&b too. Though
overall, this is luminous jazz. Riccards has a very effective 'no muss no fuss' voice, with minimal scat that seems to extend logically from the tunes, and a real appreciation for and attention to lyric throughout. Some nice surprises too like the fairly upbeat takes on 'Stardust' and 'Beautiful Love.' There are subtle and interesting shifts and inflections that are very thoughtful and yet still fun too. Throughout, Romano adds nice Brazilian and a variety of jazz touches effectively. He's a very good player, but not just satisfied with showing off chops. His playing is an effective, articulate and distinctive equal partner to Riccards' vocals, and yet never overbearing. The album has also grown on me with repeated listens. Although their style, sound and approach are different, comparisons to Ella and Joe Pass are not unwarranted. I listen to a lot of jazz vocalists; and Riccards is one of my very favorite discoveries of the past year or so. Quiet grace, a firm grounding in swing, fun, sophistication and taste.
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