Hilary Kole - Haunted Heart (2009)

As I listened to Hilary Kole cry out the classic Irving Berlin ballad What ll I Do? at Birdland on Wednesday evening, the song seemed to flow from her like a single agonizing thought. As the prospect of being alone sank in, her composure threatened to crack and her voice rose to a near-sob before her panic subsided, replaced by quiet resignation and despair. These changes were expressed subtly in a steady emotional arc as Ms. Kole s glowing voice reined in any impulse toward hysteria.

What ll I Do? is included on Ms. Kole s forthcoming album, Haunted Heart (Justin Time Records), produced by John Pizzarelli, a sometime guest during her Birdland engagement, which runs through Saturday. She was accompanied by Tedd Firth on piano, Paul Gill on bass, Mark McLean on drums and John Hart on guitar. All except Mr. Hart play on the album.

Ms. Kole s poised, sultry ballad-singing has always been easy on the ears. But her smooth melodic lines have never been so consistently infused with literary subtext, which spells the difference between sounding pretty and having something to say. Her version of the Dietz-Schwartz ballad Haunted Heart stood apart from any other through its translation into a bossa nova, in which Mr. McLean s drums imitated the palpitations of a telltale heart. The sexy Brazilian ballad Like a Lover revolved around the singer s envious identification with a velvet moon caressing a lover s body.

In the show s up-tempo numbers, Ms. Kole demonstrated her deepening confidence as a light pop-jazz swinger who, even when she is horsing around, keeps her eye on the subject. She cozied up to The Snake, Oscar Brown Jr. s sly sexual parable in which a woman finds a half-frozen poisonous reptile by a lake, brings it home and tenderly nurses it back to health only to be bitten, then ridiculed by the object of her devotion.

Ms. Kole has performed it before, but until now had held its sarcasm at arm s length. As the song slithered to life on Wednesday, she showed she is demure no more, which is all to the good. --Stephen Holden, New York Times, Feb 13, 2009

It has been a long time coming, but it is definitely worth the wait. Kole has been a strong presence on the New York City scene for several years, and has garnered many rave reviews during that time. Her demos have received play from some of the top purveyors of jazz on the radio, but her fans have been frustrated by the lack of music from her that they could enjoy whenever they wanted it. With the release of this 13-song disc, she is sure to find a whole new audience for her fine singing. To assist her on this musical adventure, she has the support of John Pizzarelli, producer of the album, on guitar, Tedd Firth on piano, Paul Gill on bass and mark McLean on drums. Her song selection is tasteful, varied, and mostly avoids tunes that have found their way onto too many albums. Among the most familiar songs are There s a Small Hotel, Deed I Do, and What ll I do, although none of these approaches being overdone. Then there are tunes such as It s Love, I Didn t Know About You, Like a Lover, How Am I to Know, Haunted Heart and Blackberry Winter that are favorites of vocalists who like to explore material that is first rate, but somehow hovers in the background waiting for discerning artists like Kole to call them forth. The last mentioned of these inspired Kole, who arranged all of the tracks, to take the piano seat, and provide herself with perfect self accompaniment for this evocative song. She discovered a real gem, Bob Haymes rarely performed You for Me, while listening to one of her favorite singers, Blossom Dearie. Bob Dorough s Better Than Anything was a staple for Irene Kral, another influence on Kole. Old Boyfriends by Tom Waits and The Snake by Oscar Brown Jr. nicely round out the program. Kole has a rich and flexible voice that complements the intelligence that she displays in her reading of lyrics. Her band simply excels. Firth is among the premier accompanists currently on the scene. Pizzarelli adds spirit to any undertaking in which he is involved. Gil and McLean are masters of time, with McLean adding colorings and accents that subtly enhance each arrangement. Did I say that I dug this album? You betcha! --Jersey Jazz, April 2009

Birdland is home ground for Hilary Kole these days, and looking like a million bucks and swinging like a carefree spending spree, Kole, with special guest, jazz guitarist John Pizzarelli, celebrated Valentine's Day and the release of her new CD, Haunted Heart. Until recently, she appeared at Birdland every Sunday evening with Andy Farber and His Orchestra and she will return in April.

Appearing before a big band is old hat for Kole, who began her career singing with the Rainbow Room Orchestra. It's a gig made in heaven for both her and for the band, but Kole can perform compellingly on her own with a scaled down group and arrangements playing to her strengths. Besides swing on the beat in tunes like 'It's Love' (Comden/Green/Bernstein) and 'Deed I Do' (Hirsch and Rose), Kole's sophisticated rendition of Oscar Brown Jr.'s 'The Snake' incisively indicated the obvious danger lying ahead when you meet up with that old black magic called love, but is really sex. Her character learned the lesson well.

If your intent in cabaret is shedding a few tears, Kole may not do it for you, but she is a seasoned vocalist, appropriately credited for her timing and rhythm. Here she demonstrated growth in delving beneath the song's words and excavating the undercurrent. 'What'll I Do?' succeeded beautifully with Kole's introspective vocals and Pizzarelli's earthy guitar, as did Duke Ellington's confessional, 'I Didn't Know About You.' They rang true, simple as that.

Alec Wilder's brilliant 'Blackberry Winter' resonated with harmonic arrangements, evoking unsettling moods of that mid-season interlude when a chilly snap interrupts the promise of spring.

'Haunted Heart,' the title song by Dietz and Schwartz, rendered an aura of contemporary-Brazilian-film noir intrigue a fascinating rendition. Italians, Martino and Brighetti, wrote 'Estate,' a tune often thought to be Brazilian. Here Pizzarelli sang the whispery Italian lyrics while Kole delivered the English version. It still sounded Brazilian. Also swaying under a bossa beat was Dori Caymmi's 'Like a Lover.'

'Pick Yourself Up' (Fields and Kern) swung out with an optimistic give-and-take with Kole and her band, pianist Tedd Firth, with Paul Gill on bass, Mark McLean on drums and John Pizzarelli on guitar a jazz-flavored Valentine. --Elizabeth Ahlfors, Cabaret Scenes, February 10, 2009