Audrey Morris - Bistro Ballads + The Voice of Audrey Morris (2016)

From the early 50s, Audrey Morris’ delicate piano and forceful voice was an asset to any intimate Chicago club —or bistros, whatever be the case— into the wee hours, bucking the current taste for bawdy chanteuses and cultivating a repertoire of obscure, understated material, as she displayed in her two first albums. On the first, “Bistro Ballads”, she provides her own spare, sophisticated piano accompaniment, supported by the sensitive bass of Johnny Pate and the hushed cymbals of Charles Walton, as she brings her soulful style to bear on some untarnished ballads worthy of her skill and intelligence.

On “The Voice of Audrey Morris,” she’s backed by a group of jazzmen plus a superb string section conducted and arranged by Marty Paich. It’s a relaxed, well balanced session on which she is heard to advantage backed by the wholly enticing sound of Stu Williamson’s muted trumpet, while the warm guitar of Bill Pitman and Paich’s ruminative piano engage effectively behind them. She sings a dozen warm standards with uncommon intimacy and assurance, and a quietly swinging approach, without letting the creative tension of her interpretations falter for a moment.