Abbie Gardner - My Craziest Dream (2004)

A young singer, Abbie Gardner has a pleasing voice and swings while sticking close to the vintage lyrics and melodies that she interprets. Clearly, her most important inspiration is her father, veteran swing pianist Herb Gardner, who also contributes background vocals on a few numbers. They perform 13 tunes that are mostly from the late 1920s and early '30s, assisted greatly by the fluent and creative playing of Dan Levinson on clarinet (where his sound is just a little reminiscent of Tony Parenti) and tenor. Some of the numbers are warhorses but a few others "("Happy Feet," "Under a Blanket of Blue" and "Your Mother's Son-in-Law" in particular) are not performed all that often. Clearly, father and daughter had a fun time performing this music. The final two numbers -- a tribute to Herb's home ("Staten Island") and the humorous "Gunshots and Sirens" -- feature Herb on a pair of good-time vocals. This CD is easy to enjoy and shows that Abbie Gardner is a singer with strong future potential.

"My Craziest Dream" is Abbie's first full length record and one she made with her dad, jazz pianist/trombonist Herb Gardner. She'll be the first to admit that as a young singer, the vocals are simple and straightforward. But the BAND is the real kicker on this one! Recorded live at NYU with Mark Frankel behind the board, you can hear the guys in the band play off each other. Early jazz the way it's meant to be! Great for swing dancing.