A Song In Jazz

Album Review

The jazz world is full of talented veteran musicians who, for whatever reasons, have flown under the radar over the years; one of them is acoustic pianist Debbie Poryes, who brings an appealingly lyrical outlook to A Song in Jazz. This 58-minute CD, which was recorded in 2006 and 2007, is not her first release; in 1982, she recorded an LP for the Dutch label Timeless Records. But it is accurate to say that as of late 2007, Poryes' catalog was quite small for someone who had been active on the jazz scene for many years. It is also accurate to say that Poryes (who forms an acoustic trio with bassist Bill Douglass and drummer David Rokeach) favors a melodic, clean approach that owes a lot to Bill Evans, but there are also traces of Marian McPartland, Ahmad Jamal, and pre-fusion Herbie Hancock in her playing. Poryes swings, although she does so in a highly introspective way on pleasing performances of Thelonious Monk's "Pannonica" and Ray Noble's "I Hadn't Anyone Till You." The main shortcoming of this worthwhile, if derivative, effort is what could be called the "warhorse syndrome"; like so many bop-oriented players, Poryes devotes too much time to warhorses that have long since been beaten to death (such as "Alone Together" and "The Very Thought of You"). Poryes would do well to embrace more songs that haven't been recorded so often, which is exactly what she does on a memorable arrangement of Jule Styne's "People." Closely identified with Barbra Streisand, "People" hasn't received a lot of attention from the jazz world but works well as instrumental bop in Poryes' capable hands. "People" is definitely one of the high points of A Song in Jazz, which — all things considered — paints an attractive picture of Poryes' acoustic pianism.