Those familiar with the legendary bassist Buster Williams likely think of him in terms of his associations with Herbie Hancock, McCoy Tyner, Art Blakey, Miles Davis, and countless others. To these, this recent release, Unalome, a vocal album, may come as a bit of a surprise. Yet, through his storied career, Williams has also been the accompanist of choice for vocalists Nancy Wilson, Betty Carter, Carmen McRae, Shirley Horn, and Sarah Vaughan. Here Williams taps multiple Grammy-nominated Jean Baylor of The Baylor Project to join his steady quintet Something More, comprised of saxophonist/flutist Bruce Williams (no relation) vibraphonist Stefon Harris, pianist George Colligan, and drummer Lenny White. Williams had worked with Baylor before in his band called Mirrors before The Baylor Project existed. Yet, this is their first recording together. Keep in mind that Baylor has a history of wordless vocals on albums by The Yellowjackets and Kenny Garrett, also prior to The Baylor Project.
This writer was tipped off to this project on The Blue Note At Sea Cruise from Sirius XM’s Real Jazz Program Director Mark Ruffin, who wrote the liner notes, essentially informing us that this is the most accessible album of Williams’ career as a leader and that it could potentially garner him his first Grammy, in the jazz vocal category, no less. Four of these eight compositions are his, along with four others, three specifically for this album, a repurposed original, and four standards, two of which are highly coveted, difficult-to-render tunes – “I’ve Got the World on a String” and “Here’s to Life,” the latter immortally stamped as Shirley Horn’s signature song. “Estate” is another in the Horn canon.
They open with Williams’ “Stairways,” Baylor’s wordless vocals meshing beautifully with Bruce’s alto saxophone, Harris’ shimmering vibes, and Colligan’s piano. The second original targeted for this project features the bassist’s lyrics on the lush melodic ballad, “in the Middle of a Rainbow,” putting Baylor’s pure, crystalline, breathy vocal foremost in the mix, together with especially rich statements from the sax, piano, and vibes. The third original is “Wisdom of Silence,” where we prominently hear the leader’s emphatic bass in a duet with Harris’ ethereal vibes before and continuing through Baylor’s wordless vocals. The instrumental portion echoes Buster’s work with Roy Ayers on Buster’s 1975 Crystal Reflections. The older Buster tune, “Tayamisha” is a swinger named for his daughter, having originally appeared on the 1975 Pinnacle and performed by two of Buster’s groups, The Timeless All Stars and Sphere. His bandmates convinced him to reprise it here and it is the lone track without vocals. Each member except White stretches out.
Buster confesses to choosing “Estate” and “Here’s to Life,” not as a tribute to Shirley Horn but to hear Jean Baylor be Jean. The former is inspired by the Brazilian guitarist Joao Gilberto, a song that’s lingered in Buster’s head for years, and as you listen to Baylor’s singing, Bruce’s saxophone, Colligan’s piano, and Harris’ vibes, all possess a melodic, vocal-like quality, with Lenny White’s brushes adding to the sensitive mood on this standout track. “Here’s to Life” naturally closes the album and thankfully the courageous Baylor, realizing the dramatic power of Horn’s rendition, puts her own contemporary, sultry stamp on the tune, giving it a more contemplative mood, enhanced by Buster’s arco and pizzicato bass flourishes.
Baylor chose “I’ve Got the World on a String,” taking it in a classy and sassy swing style with Colligan expertly comping behind the solos of Bruce and Harris before taking a solo turn, that leads to a nice sequence from the rhythm section. Baylor opens “42nd Street” in her trademark romantic style before Buster’s funky arrangement and White’s backbeat behind Bruce’s soprano set the vocalist into a more conventional approach to the tune, as she displays the versatility and eclecticism we’ve come to expect from The Baylor Project.
