Judy Whitmore • Let’s Fall in Love

If there’s one thing I miss about being a journo (and there is only one), it’s all the free theater tickets I used to enjoy. Some weeks I’d see three or four shows—I must have clocked up thousands of pounds in complimentary performances over the years, not to mention all the interval drinks given gratis …

Judy Whitmore’s records take me right back to those heady days of free seats and house red. Records by the veteran cabaret singer and theater producer (amongst many other things, for which see my review of her last record, Come Fly With Me) have a definite Broadway vibe, with a sizable cast of string and brass players drawn from the Chris Walden Orchestra supporting her well enunciated, leading-lady-like vocals.

The arrangements also have something of the stage about them—take “Taking a Chance on Love,” which opens with Whitmore singing over sparse piano chords which gradually blossom into a lush backing track. It definitely evokes those points in a stage show where the protagonist’s spoken lines transition smoothly into a musical number.

If all this sounds more Playbill than Syncopated Times, consider that the tunes herein are all taken straight from the Great American Songbook—you won’t find anything from Cats or Starlight Express on this disc, so don’t panic. Think the Gershwins’ “I’ve Got a Crush on You,” Ray Noble’s “The Very Thought of You,” and Carl Sigman’s “Crazy He Calls Me.”

Moreover, the orchestra is joined by a small combo comprising pianist Josh Nelson, bassist Edwin Livingstone, guitarist Andrew Synowiec, drummer Peter Erskine, vibraphonist Wade Culbreath and harmonica player Hendrik Meurkens. Their presence serves to keep the sound in the realms of symphonic jazz, rather than pure soundtrack—as well as bringing a welcome element of variety to the record.

Bill Evans’ “All of You” is enhanced—to my Max Geldray-loving ear—by Meurkens’ meandering, melancholy melodies, while Cole Porter’s “It’s All Right With Me” gets a novel bossa nova treatment putting Synowiec’s guitar to the fore. Meanwhile, Vernon Duke’s “Taking a Chance on Love” really swings thanks to Nelson’s driving, bass-heavy accompaniment. Just one track—Harold Arlen’s “Let’s Fall In Love”—features a duet with soul singer Ty Taylor, which seems a shame because his deep, warm voice is every bit as fantastic as Whitmore’s.

I definitely appreciated all these minor diversions, because this is not a record that will get you up and dancing. No, it’s more chilled out than a penguin in an ice box, from beginning to end. I’m very reluctant to describe it as background music—that would seem rude to the very many musicians involved—but it would certainly make an excellent, unobtrusive accompaniment to a jazz-lover’s (or Broadway-lover’s) dinner party.

I described Whitmore’s last effort, Come Fly With Me, as nothing particularly radical and the same goes here: it’s very pleasant, and does merit concentrated listening, but I picture myself enjoying Let’s Fall In Love on a rainy Sunday afternoon while reading a Mae West novel. (I’ve just read The Constant Sinner and highly recommend it to anyone who wants to take a seedy vacation in Harlem’s underbelly.)

Given the obvious amorous overtones of the record’s twelve tracks, I can see it becoming the soundtrack to many a Valentine’s Day in our household, too. (So it might well be danced to—but not a quickstep.) It’s available online and in record stores now—see judywhitmore.com for info, and hear samples on YouTube Music.

Let’s Fall in Love
Judy Whitmore
judywhitmore.com