The 1990s were full of unimaginative
Sarah Vaughan clones and faceless
Ella Fitzgerald imitators who failed to bring anything fresh or personal to jazz singing -- like a lot of "Young Lion" instrumentalists, they were stuck in the past and refused to leave their comfort zones even for a minute. But the 1990s also brought us some impressive risk-takers, including
Cassandra Wilson, Karrin Allison,
Claire Martin,
Ann Dyer, and
Patricia Barber. Another adventurous jazz singer who started recording in the 1990s was
Barbara Sfraga. An unpredictable artist who can be bluesy one minute and abstract the next,
Sfraga takes more than her share of chances on her promising debut album
Oh, What A Thrill. This post-bop/avant-garde CD gets off to an impressive start with an unlikely interpretation of
Jerry Lee Lewis' "Great Balls of Fire," which
Sfraga successfully changes from uptempo rockabilly to slow, atmospheric jazz-noir. And the New York-based singer also shows how daring she can be on the standard "Angel Eyes" (which incorporates Cream's "Sunshine of Your Love") as well as "Good Morning, Heartache" and
Lee Morgan's "Free Wheelin'" (for which she provides lyrics). Though
Betty Carter's influence serves her well,
Sfraga is more accessible -- in fact, those who have a hard time getting into Carter could easily be drawn in by
Sfraga's dusky and alluring performances on "Invitation" and "I Didn't Know What Time It Was."
Sfraga's primary accompaniment on this disc consists of guitarist
Bruce Saunders, pianist
David Berkman, bassist
John Hebert, and drummer
Eric Halvorson -- and she has noteworthy guests in pianist
Fred Hersch, who is featured on three tracks, and vocalist
Mark Murphy, who wrote the liner notes and performs a memorable duet with her on "I'll Call You." Oh, What a Thrill is highly recommended to those who are seeking something fresh and personal from jazz singing. ~ Alex Henderson