Angela Verbrugge: Somewhere

OA2 RECORDS 22228. (RECORDED BETWEEN 2017 AND 2021)

Angela Verbrugge will not impress you with her dynamic range, her scatting or any vocal tricks of the trade. She will, however, impress you with her pure honesty and warmth as she embraces this set of seven songs. You will also be impressed by the way she adds some older and less heard standards to her repertoire such as Hanigan & Cates “When The Moon Turns Green,” written in 1935 and Green & Wolff’s “Until I Met You,” written in 1956. The company she keeps on Somewhere is also quite impressive. Whether she is playing with Canadian musicians pianist Miles Black, bassist Jodi Proznick and drummer Joel Fountain) or an American trio of pianist Ray Gallon, bassist Cameron Brown and drummer Anthony Pinciotti, the results are the same — heartfelt tunes delivered with passion, imaginative playing and crystal clear lyrics. Gallon, who has impressed me with his trio recordings, proves he is also a wonderfully sensitive and creative accompanist as he and Verbugge caress Gershwin’s “For You, For Me, For Evermore” and Torme’s “Born To Be Blue.” Miles Black and the Canadian trio are equally supportive of Verbrugge on Warren’s “I Had the Craziest Dream,” Bernstein’s “Somewhere” (with vocalist Erik Kalaidzis) and the Verbrugge original “Je Ne Veux Pas To Dire Bonsoir” (with saxophonist Dave Say providing some tasteful underscoring). The only downside to this recording is its less than 30 minutes length, but in that short time Verbrugge will definitely impress you with her choice of songs and the old-school way in which she delivers them — with grace, charm, tenderness and warmth. A longer CD of duos with Ray Gallon will be a wonderful addition to Verbrugge’s discography (hint)!

BOTTOM LINE: You won’t find vocalist Angela Verbrugge on the cover of leading jazz magazines, but that shouldn’t stop you from checking out Somewhere. Verbrugge will earn your attention with her clear, casual and comfortable take on seve familiar and some “new-to-me standards.” This compilation of recordings made between 2017 and 2021 also features some attention-getting accompaniment from the likes of bassist Cameron Brown and pianists Ray Gallon and Miles Black.