Review from
October/November 2003 issue of JAM, the Kansas City Jazz Ambassadors
Magazine
Kathleen Holeman
DON'T YOU WONDER
Kathleen Holeman is a
musician who just happens to sing. So states Chuck Berg in his
wonderfully complete liner notes for her debut album Don't You Wonder.
Holeman has recently emerged as one of Kansas City's finest "talents
deserving wider recognition." She stopped the show at the "Ladies Sing
The Blues" concert in February at The Club at Plaza III, and now, with
the release of her first CD, she is fully into prime time.
Backed by a strong band of Paul Smith, piano, Bob Branstetter, bass,
Rod Fleeman, guitar, and Al Wiley, drums, this set contains a rather
remarkable mixture of styles, colors and emotions. Holeman is a
musical chameleon -- sultry blues singer on one tune, ingénue on
another, '20s torch singer or hard swinging show stopper on yet
others.
And she is wonderfully creative. Her melodic improvisations, whether
with words or without, are at once surprising yet always within the
confines of the harmonic structures. Her wordless vocals on "Mood
Indigo" would make Duke, and even violinist Ray Nance, very happy.
Through the wonders of multiple tracking, she scats a duet with
herself on "That's All," sings along with her trombone on "I Don't
Want To Set the World On Fire," and accompanies herself at the piano
on "Exactly Like You," swinging up a storm in the process.
There are also wonderful duets throughout -- with Branstetter on "Mood
Indigo," Fleeman on "Every Time We Say Goodbye," and a thoroughly
delightful five-way jam on "This Masquerade." Indeed, Kathleen is so
thoroughly confident with her abilities and her art, that she never
backs away from involving herself with any or all members of the
group. She is often just another instrument in this wonderful
five-piece band.
And what a band! It's been a while since we've heard Bob Branstetter
play with such passion and swing. Paul Smith is his usual competent
self, adding delightful solos here and there and providing solid
accompaniment where needed. Rod Fleeman plays his amplified acoustic
guitar throughout, and the richness of his sound coupled with the
richness of his inventive solos is, as always, a joy to hear. Al
Wiley's drumming is always good -- the rock upon which the music is
built -- and he adds several exciting solos, most notably on "That's
All."
Perhaps the highlight of the album is their rendition of Van
Morrison's "Moondance." Inspired by the version by drummer/singer
Grady Tate, this track swings as hard as any in recent memory. And it
is no studio fluke, to which the SRO crowd at the September Jardine's
CD release party will attest, for they erupted in well deserved cheers
and wild applause.
The mark of a great CD is its ability to withstand many listenings and
remain exciting. So far, Don't You Wonder has traveled by car with me
four times across Kansas and Eastern Colorado, and there is still much
music therein that raises goose bumps. This is a wonderful artist, and
she presents us with a wonderful CD.
It is available from Kathleen; go to her website
www.kathleenholeman.com
and order several. You'll be glad you did!
-- John Leisenring |
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Kathleen Holeman
(Vocals, Piano, Trombone
Paul Smith
(Piano)
Rod Fleeman
(Guitar)
Bob Branstetter
(Double Bass)
Al Wiley
(Drums)
Liner
Notes |
Don't You Wonder? |
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Tracks
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1. That's All |
Info |
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2. Don't You Wonder |
Info |
Listen |
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3. Blue Skies |
Info |
Listen |
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4. Ev'ry Time We Say
Goodbye |
Info |
Listen |
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5. Get Happy |
Info |
Listen |
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6. What Are You Doing The
Rest Of Your Life? |
Info |
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7. Moondance |
Info |
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8. Mood Indigo |
Info |
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9. This Masquerade |
Info |
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10. I Don’t Want To Set The
World On Fire |
Info |
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11. Take Me Out to the
Ballgame |
Info |
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12. Exactly Like You |
Info |
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13. Gentle Rain |
Info |
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14. How Sweet It Is To Be
Loved By You |
Info |
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“That’s All” (Alan Brandt/Bob
Haymes) 4:11 -
We wanted to approach this song with a samba feel. It has been played in
many styles, by others and by us, and we felt this style was fresh. It is
a celebration of the lyrics, and it was a blast soloing over these chords
in this style. The scat duet was an accident. I had put down several
tracks and was trying to pick one. Ron Ubel told me to bear with him and
just listen to these two versions together. We all laughed and loved it,
so it stayed. This song also means a lot to my husband (Steve) and me.
"Don't You Wonder?"
(Kathleen Holeman) 5:11 -
This song is the product of a long stormy relationship which ended several
years ago. It probably conveys how most people feel after a break-up.
“Blue Skies”
(Irving Berlin) 4:58 -
I enjoy letting people
hear the verses on old standards. They provide an insight to what the
composer was really getting at. This particular verse gives a background
for the chorus (the part we all know). The guys swing really hard on this
one. I hope Irving Berlin would be happy with this rendition.
“Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye”
(Cole Porter) 4:23 - I wanted
to do this as a tribute to Irene Kral. When I heard her recordings, she
was singing to me alone. Rod and I tried to make a very intimate
experience for the listener. Hopefully, each person feels that this was
made specifically for him or her as well.
“Get Happy”
(Ted Koehler/Harold Arlen) 4:28 - Judy Garland could sure
sell a song. Again, we are using Harold Arlen’s original verse to show
people what he really wanted. The “call to the sermon” up front sets up
the message that is found in the chorus. Hopefully our choice of moods and
meters really helps lift people. It sure did it for us.
“What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life?”
(Michel LeGrand/Alan & Marilyn Bergman) 4:50 -
This Michel Legrand standard has been a favorite of mine since it was
first introduced to me, to sing, in college jazz band. It has a beautiful
message and a beautiful progression of chords.
“Moondance” (Van Morrison)
5:07 - Of course I know and
love Van Morrison’s version and I really dig Grady Tate’s vocal of it, as
well. Our version of it has a fine groove! I hope people will want to get
up and dance every time they hear this cut.
“Mood Indigo” (Duke
Ellington/Irving Mills/Barney Bigard) 5:33 - We approached this in
a different way. Duke Ellington has had some sopranos sing with his group
at times in the past. The use struck me as giving an ethereal quality, or
making it ”dreamy”. So I used that kind of thing at the end of this one. I
love Bob’s solo on this and the general feel of the cut fits the words and
the nostalgic tone we were aiming for.
“This Masquerade” (Leon
Russell) 5:31 - We were aiming for some
tone painting in the middle of this one. Going with the message, we tried
to make it sound like we were at a party individually, not seeing or
hearing each other, yet coming together by the end. At the end, we drop
out to nothing, as if we are leaving the party and wandering off
individually, as in the situation of the message of the lyrics, still
lost.
“I Don’t Want To Set The World On Fire”
(Eddie Seiler/Sol Marcus/Ed Durham/Bennie
Benjamin) 3:36 - This is a tribute to Daddy (who also loves
to sing this)and to the Ink Spots. Our style on this one is retro, back to
when the Ink Spots made it famous. The trombone duet may sound corny to
most, but it just fit, in our opinion.
"Take Me Out to the Ballgame"
(Jack Norworth/Albert Von Tilzer) 3:13 - “Take Me Out” is a tribute and a
commentary on baseball. I love the game and its history. The verse is the
original verse written to lead into the chorus that we all know. Baseball
as a business has always been its worst enemy and the threat of a major
league strike again so soon after a strike was a real bummer. I guess it
upset me so much that some lyrics started forming one early morning. I
knew as they were coming that they were fitting over the chords to “Take
Me Out”. I don’t know that my commentary will matter to the big leaguers
and the management, but I know I’m not alone in knowing that this problem
is out of hand and the fans and old-fashioned values are being forgotten.
I included this song on the album because baseball means so much to me,
and this tune can easily be turned into jazz, especially adding the rhythm
from my added lyrics.
“Exactly Like You” (Dorothy
Fields/Jimmy McHugh) 3:01 - This is a fun
tune. Rod and I have always had a blast playing together, and I felt that
this one deserved to be on the album. I hope everyone tolerates my piano
playing (as much as they tolerated my trombone playing) and allows
themselves to just be happy and bounce along with us.
“Gentle Rain” (Louis Bonfa/Matt
Dubey) 4:22 - This is another one
dedicated to Irene Kral. I want the listener to feel me take their hand,
as a child or a friend, and lead them through this. We created an intimate
tone, where the lyrics can really come alive.
“How Sweet It Is To Be Loved By You”
(Eddie Holland/Lamont Dozier/Brian Holland) 3:57 -
This tune just feels so good. Love songs like this deserve to be heard and
we swing so hard, the listener just can’t help but feel good! James Taylor
and Marvin Gaye had a good time with it, and so did we.
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