Dominique Eade - The Ruby and the Pearl (1990)

For her debut recording, Dominique Eade displays her pliant, flexible voice in a love song style framework of joy or regret, vision, hopefulness, and openness with a difference. She's quite an able scat singer and goes into this mode frequently, with a slight girlishness that is not cutesy. She sounds like a horn more than most singers, working in different keys fluently, and featuring leaping intervals. Pianist Stanley Cowell adds greatly to these proceedings; John Lockwood's bass is a solid foundation and drummer Alan Dawson gives his usual stellar, rhythmically perfect performance. Husband Allan Chase adds alto or soprano sax on a few cuts.

Of the 12 selections, Eade wrote five and penned lyrics for Billy Strayhorn's "Blood Count." She is not so much revolutionizing the patent love song as revitalizing it with her personal flair and deep emotional wellspring. "In Return" has Cowell's modal piano chords acting anticipatory as the question is repeated, with Eade's soaring lead line and free, breezy scat solo waiting for the correct response. "Maristella" is a slightly naughty tale of the pupil admiring the teacher in a quick samba mode; the ballad "Worlds Apart" tells of the distance between lovers, but leaves the door open; and "A Portrait of You" is a good boppish musical locket with photo of a special someone. Her lyric to Strayhorn's "Blood Count" is a marvel -- a tale of memories, thinking of "you" and hoping this is not the end; it's poignant and amazing vocalese in a ballad framework. Of the standards, the title track (done years ago by Nat "King" Cole) has Cowell flying, sparking Eade's mad scat over an exotic, Turkish-overtoned motif. "Out of This World" is equally astounding, with Cowell and Lockwood's modal 6/8 inclinations (a la McCoy Tyner/Jimmy Garrison) infusing Eade's spirit with a rip-roaring energy. She practically jumps into this lyric. A bass-vocal intro on the well-swung "If I Were a Bell" is the way a jazz standard should be interpreted. It's clear Eade has a good time with this -- she's light, heartfelt, and funny, (especially when Cowell chimes in quoting "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town"). The one misstep might be "Inner Urge," where the very tough melody is scatted in a higher key than the original. She'd have to have a much lower range to get this one down pat, but a good, if uneven attempt. She makes up for it on "Crazeology," with its fast changes and alto rumblings from Chase's solo. Eade is as promising a jazz singer, and will likely get better and better as she ventures in and out of love songs into her own personalized domain.~The Ruby and the Pearl Review by Michael G. Nastos