Denise Donatelli: Crystal Silence

With an abundance of female singers striving to make a name for themselves in today's shrinking jazz market, I wonder why some of them even try, if they have nothing new to offer. While the great grandes dames of jazz Ella, Sarah, Carmen and Billie, to name but a few have passed, they left us with an uncompromising legacy of greatness. Well, to the present generation of wonderful songstresses Nancy, Cassandra, Dee Dee, Diane Reeves and Roberta Gambarini come to mind it's time to add another name: Denise Donatelli. With the haunting "Crystal Silence," she delivers a superlative performance of a jazz classic in a silky, unpretentious voice that declares her to be a talent to be watched. Ably assisted by Blakey alumnus Geoffrey Keezer on lyrical piano doubling as arranger, the searing soprano saxophone of Bob Sheppard, and the rolling cymbal work of "Smitty" Smith, Donatelli weaves an enchanting vocalization of the title tune from an album by Chick Corea and Gary Burton. She conjures up feelings of Mark Murphy in her approach and Flora Purim in her sound a potent combination to be sure. Move over, ladies.