Radioville II: Ran Blake and Dominique Eade, “Whirlpool” (Jazz Project)

For this week’s radio review of the new album by singer Dominique Eade and pianist Ran Blake, go here.

Here’s the text of the review for the hearing impaired, and the radio resistant:

I’m Lloyd Sachs with a two-minute album review. Nearly 50 years ago, pianist Ran Blake recorded a hauntingly beautiful album with singer Jeanne Lee that set the standard for piano and voice duos. It was called The Newest Sound Around, a title that suits his latest adventure in du-ism, Whirlpool, with fellow New Englander Dominique Eade.

Whirlpool features familiar tunes like “Old Devil Moon” and “My Foolish Heart,” as well as insider jazz numbers like Quincy Jones’ theme from The Pawnbroker and Russ Freeman’s “The Wind.” But Blake and Eade treat them like classical art songs as much as popular standards. With her clear and radiant but forcefully grounded voice, Eade investigates the songs like a diamond cutter, taking time to highlight their unique harmonic facets while never losing sight of their emotional meaning. Blake’s spare, elegant backing illuminates her in a wintry light, with occasional dissonant shivers.

Hearing the daring melodic choices Eade makes, you can’t help thinking of how predictable so many other singers are. Which makes Whirlpool, in addition to everything else, a terrific work of jazz criticism. We get two versions of Jerome Kern and Johnny Mercer’s “Dearly Beloved,” the first jaunty and confident, the second more tender and reflective and then a bit desperate romantically.

Eade, whose pair of RCA albums in the ’90s proved a bit too challenging for the commercial market, spends much of her time teaching, one reason why she hasn’t recorded more. Blake, happy to say, has been active in the studio. If you haven’t heard his exquisite recent efforts for the Tompkins Square label, you should, if only to hear the only artist who may be equally at home with Hank Williams and Charles Ives. With a final rating of A for Whirlpool, I’m Lloyd Sachs with a two-minute review. Follow me on Twitter @sachsville, and link to my blog, jazzespress.