By Michele L. Simms-Burton | Published January 2020
Echoes Of Swing’s Winter Days At Schloss Elmau evokes a nostalgia for when the season commanded excellent food and long evenings listening to music. This album departs from the band’s previous all-instrumental recordings, with American vocalist Rebecca Kilgore providing excellent accompaniment on standards and a few original compositions.
The first cut, “Winter Moon,” marks the pacing and frame for Kilgore, who enters with a velvety-smooth voice. The second tune, “Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening,” will delight any lover of American poetry, as pianist Bernd Lhotzky sets this beloved Robert Frost work to music. Lhotzky also uses his sleight of hand to compose tunes for two additional poems, Shakespeare’s “Sonnet 97” and Emily Brontë’s “The Night Is Darkening Round Me.” One slight concern is “drear” being pronounced as “dear,” changing the meaning of the line in Brontë’s poem from denoting dreariness on a winter night to conjuring up images of an inamorato. Regardless of that quibble, competent musicians make this album a welcome addition to any seasonal collection.
Winter Days At Schloss Elmau: Winter Moon; Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening; I’ve Got My Love To Keep Me Warm; The Bell That Couldn’t Jingle; Snowbound; Winter Wonderland; Snow; Looks Like December; It’s Getting To Be That Time Of Year; Sonnet 97; Winter Days; The Night Is Darkening Round Me; The Three Wise Men. (49:05)
Personnel: Bernd Lhotzky, piano; Colin T. Dawson, trumpet; Chris Hopkins, alto saxophone; Oliver Mewes, drums; Rebecca Kilgore, vocals; Henning Gailing, bass; Rolf Marx, guitar (4, 8, 9, 10).
