Tatiana Eva-Marie & Jeremy Corren • Two At The Most

Tatiana Eva-Marie, who was born in Switzerland and is based in Brooklyn, is best-known for her spirited renditions of Gypsy jazz and swing standards, inspired by her French and Romanian background and a love for New Orleans jazz. However Two At The Most is a very different recording than one might expect. The set of duets with pianist Jeremy Corren is purposely melancholy, mourning the loss of a mutual friend (pianist Rick Unterburg) due to COVID, the temporary decline of the New York nightclub scene, and the state of the world in general. The emphasis is on ballads such as “The End Of A Love Affair,” “Penthouse Serenade,” “I Got It Bad,” and “The Nearness Of You.” Guest Mark Buchan takes effective vocals on “They’ll Never Believe Me” and “I’ve Grown Accustomed To Her Face.” While the overall mood (even on “Fly Me To The Moon”) of Two At The Most is a bit downbeat, the results are not depressing and one feels that the weight of the world is lightened a bit by the quality of this music. In addition to her other musical qualities, Eva-Marie is a superior ballad singer while Corren displays versatility on this date including bits of stride piano. They lead one to feel that all is not lost. This intimate and subtle set of quietly swinging music ultimately uplifts everything. Tatiana Eva-Marie & Jeremy Corren • Two At The Most Turtle Bay Records TB