Q’d Up
Tantara, 2004, CD
Instrument: Instrumental
Issue: 10.2
Jazz Ruler Type: Swing
Performance: 4+
Sound: 4
Score:
O’s Notes: The name of the band: Q’d Up and their origin: Utah, left us pessimistic. But when we finally cued up their CD we were impressed. The music is warm, inviting and easy to embrace. The band is a quintet featuring five seasoned professors from Brigham Young University. Each is adept at performing as is evidenced from the first notes. They have employed vocalist Kelly Eisenhour to further embellish the session. Her voice is rich and well suited to this mix of standards and originals. The program goes across the spectrum with songs from Jobim, Cole Porter and some real swingers written by Jay Lawrence (vibes, d, perc) and Steve Lindeman (keyboards). There’s also a nice calypso arrangement of “Nature Boy”, one of several treasures. This is the second release for Q’d Up. It is a worthy addition to any jazz collection. We missed their 1st recording but we won’t miss the next one!