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Vocalist Hannah Gill's "SPOOKY JAZZ VOL. 2." Songs for Halloween HANNAH GILL has been a jazz singer for over a decade, and while she has not recorded a Christmas album yet, she has focused some of her energy on songs for Halloween. Gill's interest was initially sparked during the pandemic, as she was assembling an autumn playlist. A Google search of "Spooky Jazz" came up empty, and Gill decided to use some of her stimulus money to record a digital EP, repurposing her search query for the album's title. Four years later, Gill recorded the sequel, SPOOKY JAZZ VOL. 2, accompanied by a select mixture of musicians from the earlier album with members of the Turtle Bay artist roster. The musicians include MIKE DAVIS (trumpet, trombone), GABE TERRACCIANO (violin), RICKY ALEXANDER (clarinet and tenor sax), GORDON WEBSTER (piano), JUSTIN POINDEXTER (guitar), PHILIP AMBUEL (bass), and BEN ZWEIG (drums). When she first moved from the Eastern shore of Maryland to New York City, Gill had just graduated from high school. The move was intended to be temporary to fill a year's gap before Gill started college, but by the end of that year, she had found enough work to maintain a full-time music career. Because she was under 21, she could not perform in bars, so she created a different route, including an international tour with Postmodern Jukebox, local gigs with the neo-swing Glenn Crytzer Orchestra, and freelance appearances backing swing dancers. Naturally, some of these gigs attracted some of the same musicians who appear on her albums. It's not easy to create a list of Halloween songs, but Gill has found several neglected songs that fit the bill. As on the first volume, she has a little fun with this material, adding plenty of humor, atmospheric sound effects and movie music quotes. SPOOKY JAZZ VOL. 2 opens with a spicy version of Eartha Kitt's "I Would Rather Be Burned as a Witch, " and Gill conveys Kitt's spirit without relinquishing her own sultry persona. The band riffs with great energy behind the vocal before Terracciano lets loose a chorus of hot fiddle, followed by a steaming piano chorus from Webster. The theme of dangerous women continues with "My Man is an Undertaker." Gill digs in with a powerful vocal, backed up by Alexander and Davis. Both hornmen play gutsy solos over the rocking shuffle rhythm. Gill warms up her delivery for the bittersweet "Love is a Necessary Evil, " composed by Marvin Fisher and Jack Segal, recorded notably by Blossom Dearie on her album May I Come In. Ambuel, who provides the sole backup in the opening bars of the chart, makes the most of his solo opportunity, developing vivid ideas while showcasing his rich tone. The rest of the soloists relish the juicy minor chord sequence and Gill closes with a fine recap of this undeservedly obscure song. "Humming to Myself" is not really a Halloween song, but the somber mood of the current performance fits within the album. Gill sings this Sammy Fain classic with wistful melancholy. Poindexter contributes a raw and emotional guitar solo and there is a great episode of collective improvisation by Davis, Alexander, and Terracciano. Most jazz fans know "Love, Your Spell is Everywhere" from the Curtis Fuller album, Bluesette, but Gill learned it from a 1929 record by Ben Selvin. It appears here as an elaborate parody, including a familiar violin rhapsody, a series of tight big band-style passages, a pseudo-serioso dance beat, and a haunting vocal over funereal organ chords. Gill and the band are producing a music video for this song, and it should be as riotous as this recording. Next, Gill borrows a song from Tim Burton's "The Nightmare Before Christmas, " a film equally suited to Halloween or Christmas. In this case, we'll vote for the former, even if Santa Claus is the source of derision in "Oogie Boogie's Song." The arrangement echoes Minnie the Moocher (a possible predecessor?) and Gill steals the show with both her menacing opening vocals and fiercely swinging out-chorus. In an album of musical revelations, "You Hurt Me" may be the most profound. On this brilliant rendition of the Little Willie John classic, Gill and the band dig deep into the soul of Chicago electric blues. The powerful vocal cuts to the bone and Gill turns up the emotional heat as her chorus continues. Poindexter and Alexander dig into the groove with passionate solos and the rhythm section leans into the beat for a powerful coda. "Hard-Hearted Hannah" might be the spiritual grandmother of the other dangerous women portrayed on this album, but her young namesake takes a light-hearted approach in relating her elder's nefarious deeds. "That Old Black Magic" opens with more outstanding ensemble work by the "little big band." Keeping with the retro feel of the arrangement, there is a key change before the vocalist takes her chorus. And what a well-defined chorus Gill sings here, showing deep understanding of this timeless standard. Her energetic return at the end of the chart features impressive melodic variations on Harold Arlen's great melody. "Haunted House Blues" takes us back nearly a century with Bessie Smith's lyrics, but rather than a classic blues setting, it is performed with a lazy country backdrop. The juxtaposition of Gill's smooth but heartfelt vocal over Terracciano's rough "alley-cat" violin is extremely effective, while Poindexter's solo shows a completely different character than he showed on "You Hurt Me." "Shine On, Harvest Moon" is probably the oldest composition on the album, but Gill and the band make this diamond sparkle again. The mood is an easy segue from the previous track, but Poindexter's organ lends a different feel to the rhythm section. The multi-tracked Gill sings direct transcriptions from recordings by the Andrews and Boswell sisters and Poindexter gets the final sinister word as the album closes. # # # SPOOKY JAZZ VOL. 2 was released on October 4, 2024 on Turtle Bay Records and is available on CD, vinyl and all streaming platforms. |
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