A fine singer in the 1920s/'30s tradition of
Ruth Etting,
Helen Ward and
Annette Hanshaw,
Carla Normand is best known as the longtime vocalist with Don Neely's Royal Society Orchestra. For this CD, she is teamed with a sextet out of the group dubbed the New Deal Jazz Band: Neely on reeds, cornetist
Bob Schulz, pianist Ray Skjelbred, rhythm guitarist Dix Bruce, bassist Steve Hanson and drummer Steve Apple. With Schulz, Neely and Skjelbred contributing some fine solos,
Norman (who has an appealing voice) swings in a fairly basic and lightly swinging style. The repertoire is strong (including "Just You, Just Me," "A Sailboat in the Moonlight," "A Shine on Your Shoes," "You Hit the Spot" and "Who Cares"), and overall, this set reminds one of
Teddy Wilson's small group dates with
Billie Holiday with a little more 1920s flavor. A nice effort. ~ Scott Yanow