If the American Songbook feels like a repository of timeless wisdom it’s because jazz vocalists breathe new life into familiar tales, interpreting the music with visceral emotional immediacy. In the case of chanteuse Sylvia Brooks, the songs serve as a barometer, marking the increasing depth she plumbs.

Her evolution is evident throughout her fifth album, which was recorded at Herb Albert’s Vibrato Jazz Grill. Revisiting material from earlier releases, Sylvia Brooks Live [with Christian Jacob] provides both a snapshot of an artist in full command and a revelatory index of the distance she’s traveled since her impressive 2009 debut Dangerous Liaisons.

1. When The Sun Comes Out (2:59)
2. Blues In the Night (4:14)
3. Guess Who I Saw Today (3:53)
4. The Red Pig Flew Up The Hill (Instrumental) (5:52)
5. The Flea Markets of Paris (4:29)
6. Cold Cold Heart (4:33)
7. Night and Day (5:06)
8. Tender Trap (4:38)
9. Holding Back Tears (4:18)
10. Come Rain or Come Shine (3:32)

This expertly sculptured, heartfelt and organic new album opens on the dutiful hipsway found within When The Sun Comes Out and the low slung Blues In the Night and they are followed by the sumptuous Guess Who I Saw Today, the playfully sculpted instrumental The Red Pig Flew Up The Hill and the atmospherically-charged The Flea Markets of Paris.

Up next is the melodious finger snapper Cold Cold Heart and the languishing Night and Day and they are in turn backed neatly by the free flowing, dancefloor swirl of Tender Trap, the album rounding out on the stillness found within the tender ballad Holding Back Tears, coming to a close on the rhythmic swing of Come Rain or Come Shine.

As is the case on her previous albums, she’s keeping superlative company. Pianist Christian Jacob, Brooks’ music director and general co-conspirator on the date, is one of the most respected accompanists and composers on the international scene today. He’s a nine-time Grammy Award nominee who has also composed several scores for Clint Eastwood (Sully and The 15:17 to Paris).

The bespoke arrangements fit Brooks with sleek precision, whether she’s belting with the brass on the Arlen numbers or making Nancy Wilson’s devastating discovery “Guess Who I Saw Today” her own by painting in shades of sadness and despair (accentuated by David Witham’s expert keyboard work). Not for nothing did All About Jazz describe Brooks as a “Master Stylist.”

Additional Musicians:
Christian Jacob — Piano
David Hughes — Bass
Kevin Kanner — Drums
David Witham — Keyboards & Accordion
Jeff Bunnell — Trumpet & Flugelhorn
Brian Scanlon — Tenor Sax & Flute

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