NEWS   CANT WE BE FRIENDSDaywood Drive Records October 2011
Jazz Inside Magizine
By Ryan Baker
Word has it that the way things start out is the way they progress and the way they turn out. Or as Ive heard it said about a persons character, At seven, like at 70. In other words, the tell-tale signs are often there to giveaway what to expect good or bad. In the case of the new album Cant We Be Friends, by vocalist Jerry Costanzo, all of the leading indicators point to a winner with a winning release in every way. Sure enough, from the opening notes of the medium groove first track, East Of The Sun, through the gentle closing of Stairway To The Stars, Costanzo delivers a set of consistently high-quality renditions of delightful standards and leads his band of cracker jack musicians through a series of compelling and delightful arrangements.
Opening with an arrangement by Andy Farber featuring a catchy horn introduction - flute and trumpet on top the medium groove East Of The Sun is a showcase for the singers warm and robust sound, crisp articulation, and confident delivery. Some people mistake a relaxed and swinging tempo like this one, as somehow having less energy than something flying fast. Dont. In the same vein that the ballad tempo renditions of Shirley Horns performances were sizzling with electrified energy in single notes, Costanzos performances have a certain indescribable energy that comes with maturity. His vocals are nicely complemented by the band and a modulation to a new key for Farbers flute solo.
Out of tempo, and accompanied by the gentle piano sounds of Tedd Firth, on Cant We Be Friends, Costanzo opens with the verse of the song and quickly moves into a medium swinging rendition of this tasty swinger. Sherman on vibes, and Farber on tenor chime in with very brief solos that are ideally suited for this playful performance.
In this album of standards, in an easily accessible acoustic setting, Costanzo performs both well-known standards, and a number of compositions that are not often on the agenda for most singers and instrumentalists. Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps is one of those rare gems. Costanzo opens it up with an easy-going kind of tango groove, which blossoms into a finger-snapping swing setting, including brief solos again by Sherman on vibes and Farber on tenor.
One of the reasons that Cant We Be Friends works so well is because Costanzo more than a superb, seasoned musician with a voice you want to hear is that he is an ace at pacing. He slows it down just right on I Just Cant See For Lookin. How do I know its just right? How will you know its just right? Just go to your body. Let your body talk to you. Its easy to feel what feels good.
Trumpeter Mike Carubia who has performed with an array of the great singers Tony Bennett, Vic Damone, Sammy Davis Jr. and others, translates that experience into three superb arrangements here: Love Me Or Leave Me, Oh You Crazy Moon and Mean To Me. Carubia writes some delicious ensembles on Love Me Or Leave Me maximizing the sounds of the group (flute, trumpet, guitar, voice) in the ensemble passages, blending these elements into a delicious, shimmering sound.
Penthouse Serenade is one of those after midnight ballads. Costanzo takes you there on a magic carpet ride. He is at his best musically, expressively and delivering the lyrics with tip-top articulation, intonation and vibrato. Tedd Firths arrangement showcases George Shearing-like vibes, guitar, piano flute ensemble passages. Albeit brief, these ensemble passages provide the kind of moments that might best be characterized by the words indescribably delicious a tag line that used to be the trademark description in ads for Peter Paul Mounds candy bars.
Costanzo moves into extreme ballad mood on Oh You Crazy Moon. This rarely performed chestnut, is by one of my favorite composing teams Johnny Burke and Jimmy Van Heusen. If you have any sensitivity in you whatsoever, Costanzo cuts right to your core, to your soul on this one, as he tells the story.
The album wraps up with a magnificent rendition of the standard Stairway To The Stars. Ive heard renditions by Coltrane, and one of my favorites is by Johnny Hartman. Costanzo takes this classic, delivers the lyrics warmly and wonderfully, and following Farbers alto solo, he puts the final tender and beautiful touches on this song and on a colorful album of standards.