Dawn Upshaw Sings Vernon Duke
Dawn Upshaw's vocals have graced a heap of recordings, none of them quite like this collection of Vernon Duke's songs. Duke, composer of such musicals asCabin in the Sky, which has a rousing fullsoundtrackfrom the 1943 film production, wrote variously sugary and Gershwin-esque pop songs along with some "serious" music. Upshaw breezes through the pop and Gershwin-colored items, offering them a level of vocal clarity that's rarely matched. The arrangements are lovely, and with lyrics by Ogden Nash, Ira Gershwin, and Howard Dietz, the songs are apt for Upshaw's sly spin on pop vocals. Sure, Upshaw's sungRodgers and Hartand someGershwin, but she's also done great classical recitals, like those around Samuel Barber'sKnoxville: Summer of 1915. So the playful rundowns of Duke's poppier material might only hint at Upshaw's full range (as evidenced by Gorecki'sSymphony No. 3and her collection of Debussysongs), but they're fun and colorful. Indeed the excerpt from Duke's 1942 "Five Victorian Songs" is nicely more complex. And if you're wondering where to hear Upshaw singing in a decidedly more adventurous context, dig into the Arditti String Quartet's second Schoenbergcollectionand the Kronos Quartet'sNight Prayers.--Andrew Bartlett