“More smooth sounds from Lyn Stanley”

By Grady Harp

Lyn Stanley has surrounded herself with an outstanding cast of 10 of Los Angeles’ and New York’s finest musicians, assembled with full clarity of purpose to create the perfect environment for every selection. INTERLUDES digs deeply into the riches of some of the most popular songs composed form the old days of beautiful music. Many of these songs are welded in memory to the performers who created the original versions. But Lyn has accomplished the goal of all great vocalists by making every song entirely her own. Some of this is due to her conceptual skills and the extraordinary talents of her arrangers.

But the major credit must go to Ms Stanley’s radiant vocal artistry. Her flawless intonation and sumptuous warmth combine with a full bodied resonance whether in the darkest deep tones a la Sarah Vaughan or the penetrating register where Dinah Washington lived. Her lyrics – precisely enunciated, perfectly phrased and vividly rhythmic – tell her stories not only through the words, but in the emotional content with which she sings them. There is a theatrical quality of expression that is embodied in dance – the first discipline of artistic expression she embraced – with a grace and sensuality that coats every syllable she sings with a fluidity that is simply mesmerizing. Clearly this is an artist who knows both her intent and the methodology to pursue in order to achieve it.

The ensemble is Vocals: Lyn Stanley, Piano, Bill Cunliffe and Mike Garson, John Chiodini, Guitar, Chuck Berghofer, Bass, Ray Brinker and Paul Kreibich, Drums, Bob McChesney, Trombone, Hendrik Meurkens, Harmonica, Cecelia Tsan, Cello, and Brad Dutz, Percussion.

The tracks are as follows:

  • How Long Has This Been Going On?
  • Just One Of Those Things
  • Black Velvet
  • More Than You Know
  • Boulevard of Broken Dreams
  • Whole Lotta Love
  • Last Tango in Paris
  • Don’t Explain
  • Nice n Easy
  • The Island
  • It’s Crazy
  • In a Sentimental Mood
  • I Was a Little Too Lonely
  • I’m a Fool To Want You

A bit of nostalgia, some memories for warm and sad, Lyn Stanley covers them all with her inimitable class.