Living In a Daydream

For her second album, San Francisco denizen Cathi Walkup continues to mix standards and her original material. Even more than her first album Night Owl, Walkup favors up- and mid-tempo material, not quite eschewing the ballad form. Even "Angel Eyes" is given a medium tempo presentation, buttressed by the fine Tal Farlow-like guitar of Brad Buethe and subtle flügelhorn of Dmitry Matheny. And like her first album, she shares the set with fine musicians in various combinations. On this album, piano is featured on just one cut, as she substitutes guitar and vibes as her basic support. Although her mature contralto is limited in range, Walkup makes excellent use of the tools she has. Her renditions are filled with surprises, taking interesting liberties with the melodies. But she uses this technique in a disciplined manner, keeping it just that — an effective interpretative technique rather than affectation. Hear her drop down at the end of the phrase rather than taking it up as one would expect on such tunes as "Nice Work If You Can Get It." Her style is enhanced by the support she gets from her musicians. On "Nice Work," it's Gerry Grosz's vibes that provide just the correct emphasis to Walkup's vocal musings. Walkup shows she is at home with vocalese on the Thelonious Monk bop opus "I Mean You," with "that" substituted for "you" here. Of her originals, the most engaging is the title tune. It's a buoyant, hopeful piece that moves right along with significant help from Harvey Robb's tenor. This session demonstrates how good the results can be when singer, songs, and sidemen are faultlessly matched. The outcome is a truly entertaining CD. Highly recommended.