My Mother's Eyes

Compromised by contemporaneous trends

     

Etta Jones (not James) had a long and consistent career, distinguishing herself in some respects as a "more perfect" Lady Day (her album dedicated to Billy Holiday was released on the day of Etta's death in 2001 (her first recordings go back to 1945). Her most successful recording (commercially and perhaps even artistically) was "Don't Go to Strangers," made for Prestige in the early '60s. She would make other memorable recordings for Prestige, including a date with Oliver Nelson, and a session with "Jug" (tenor saxophonist Gene Ammons)--their reading of "If You Are But a Dream"-- a semi-operatic tune recorded in the 40's by Sinatra--is nothing short of sublime. Beginning in the '70s Etta would form a happy musical association with tenor saxophonist Houston Person. Her voice deepened, and its range became somewhat diminished, but it never exhibited the shaky control, weak projection, and slurred diction of late Billie Holiday performances. The problem with "My Mother's Eyes" (along with many Muse and other labels' recordings during the '70's) is the increasing use of electronic keyboards, the addition of gratuitous "effects" ("more reverb! reverb"), and of course the excessive gain applied to all of the tones played by the bass player. "Mother's Eyes" is worth picking up, but there's no way it compares with Etta's earlier recordings for Prestige. The '60s recordings are clean, crisp and balanced in their audio engineering; beginning in the '70s, many of the recordings soon wear out their welcome in a pool of over-amplified audio mush. Fans of Miles' fusion groups, or of "Saturday Night Fever," no doubt would disagree--but today much of this music plays like one forgettable "period piece." (Sadly, few of us realized it at the time.)