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Bryan
Ferry
As Time Goes By
 The
man behind one of the greatest make out albums of all time, Roxy
Music’s Avalon, is still doing his part to keep
lovers entwined, this time crooning classics from the early part
of the past century. To those who know Bryan Ferry’s work,
it should come as no surprise that he has climbed on board the
big bandwagon. Since the early 1970s, he has dabbled in jazz standards,
as evidenced on These Foolish Things (1973), Another
Time, Another Place (1974), Bete Noire (1987), and
Taxi (1993).
Despite
his love of the genre, however, Ferry’s latest take on the
music of the 1930s is underwhelming. His reorchestrations of songs
by the likes of Rogers & Hart and Cole Porter are not far from
the originals, save for the use of his trademark synthesizer stylings.
But, to his credit, Ferry has tapped some of Europe’s best
jazz and big band musicians to back him up on the album, including
Enrico Tomasso of Ray Gelato’s Giants who adds his flavorful
trumpet throughout; Colin Good on piano; Alan Barnes on tenor sax;
and guitarist Nils Solberg.
Vocally,
Ferry’s renditions are admittedly appealing, just not terribly
innovative. “As Time Goes By,” the opening title track,
is delivered in a pleasantly lazy fashion that intertwines Ferry’s
vibrato-riddled singing with Good’s soft and elegant piano
work. On the opposite end of the spectrum, “The Way You Look
Tonight” bounces and strums in Djangoesque fashion and is
the best song on the CD. With “I’m In The Mood For Love,”
made famous by Little Rascal, Alfalfa Switzer, Ferry takes us
through a tropical French vista of passion. And “Lover Come
Back To Me,” one of the few nearly danceable numbers, has
a New Orleans flair reminiscent of the Jez Hot Swing Club or The
Flying Neutrinos.
Listening
to this album, one gets the feeling that Ferry wants to capture
the elegance and grace of Fred Astaire. He comes close. But, male
vocals in the 1930s were stronger and conjured up visions of tuxedos
and cocktails, whereas Ferry only manages sport jackets and wine.
Still, it’s nice that he has chosen to stay away from the
Louis Prima and Louis Jordan songbooks and pull some more elegant
material from the great swing era. Fans of classic jazz will want
to add this one to their collection.
-
Smilin' Buddha Joe
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