‘Words & Music’ is a new album released by singer-songwriter, trumpeter and composer Jeannie Tanner featuring the voices of twelve of Chicago's finest singers. The music reflects an eclectic mix of genres reminiscent of the Great American Songbook and N’awlins-style jazz; with soulful ballads, the sounds of Latin rhythms and retro 1960’s Rat Pack swing. Many of the songs were written by Jeannie for the singers involved, and inside the digipak there are pictures of all the singers involved, and a little bit about each song. It is quite an unusual concept, in that the album is accredited to Jeannie, who also performed on trumpet as well as producing all the vocal and horn sessions and acting as executive producer, but she is not the lead musician or singer.
What pins this album together is some incredibly delicate piano from Dan Murphy (who also provided other keyboards and was musical director), combined with one strong song after another. To me this hearkens back to the Fifties and Sixties, and I am sure that it is deliberate that all the photos are slightly sepia’ed black and whites. It would have been wrong to have this in full colour, this is all about a time gone past, and recapturing an era when the music and performance was far more important than being able to executive complex dance moves. It is laid back, it is delicate and restrained, yet can also be soulful and powerful, and is always uplifting and very special indeed. If classic jazz singers providing their magic touch to some wonderful numbers is what you are interested in, then this project is just what you are looking for.
