'Whether the sound of smooth jazz is your ideal Sunday morning soundtrack or your idea of easy listening hell, it's impossible not to be moved by the backstory of
Jacqui Dankworth's fourth studio album,
It Happens Quietly. Recorded with her father, the esteemed jazz composer
Sir John Dankworth, shortly before his death in early 2010, it's an album which the pair had planned to make for some time, but only got around to once his health began to deteriorate, with many of the songs arranged and written from his sick bed. Maintaining the stiff upper lip that the British are famous for,
Jacqui's controlled and crystal-clear vocals avoid descending into the schmaltzy territory that may have befallen other singers, but her sadness and vulnerability are still very much apparent on its 12 tracks. "The Folks Who Live on the Hill" is a tender rendition of the timely ode to family life, which is beautifully underplayed with just a subtle acoustic guitar accompanying her emotive tones, "I'm Glad There Is You" is an equally intimate interpretation of
Ella Fitzgerald's version of the
Jimmy Dorsey classic, with its gentle piano lines and brush-stroke percussion, while the title track is a gorgeously lush orchestral ballad penned by her father himself. But while a somber mood understandably runs throughout the album, there are several tracks which appear to celebrate rather than mourn his life, such as the inventive reworking of
Cole Porter's "In the Still of the Night," which begins as a bossa nova-tinged dancefloor number before turning into a toe-tapping slice of swing-blues, a playful brass-led arrangement of "Do Re Mi" musical number "Make Someone Happy," and the jaunty "The Man," co-written by the pair and featuring
Sir John's last ever recorded performance on a graceful alto sax solo.
It Happens Quietly may be a little more traditional than her previous, more contemporary jazz offerings, but it's a moving and effortlessly elegant affair which serves as both a fitting tribute and swan song from one of Britain's most popular jazz musicians. ~ Jon O'Brien