Reviews

If you listen your way through Meredith d'Ambrosio's fourteen Sunnyside CDs, you will discover a woman in love with love in all of its guises, enchantments and bedevilments. This collection continues her love story and marks a milestone in her song writing. D'Ambrosio wrote all of the love stories here, and the music for more than half of them. The music for the others comes from instrumental compositions by musicians whose work she admires. Among her recent projects, in addition to concerts, recordings, a screenplay and-always-her painting, is the creation of lyrics to pieces by Kenny Dorham, Harold Land, Clifford Brown, Tom McIntosh, Eddie Higgins and Ralph Moore. Don Sickler arranged the sextet numbers and plays trumpet and fl�gelhorn. Lee Musiker collaborated with d'Ambrosio on the trio pieces and plays piano throughout.

This is the first Meredith d'Ambrosio CD made up of only her own material, albeit in collaboration with jazz instrumentalist-composers. Even "Beloved (Daahoud)", the best known melody here, is hardly a popular standard. Yet, d'Ambrosio's musicianship, intelligence and warmth make the album seem as comfortable and familiar as a collection of songs by the Gershwins, Porter, Arlen and Kern. -Doug Ramsey / Jazz Times