New York Voices
The debut album from the Big Apple-born vocal jazz quintetNew York Voicesis an appealing mix of high-powered vocalese and sharp originals, even if the latter do tend to toe the pop-fusion company line of GRP Records in the late '80s (take "Street Party"--please). In the first category are theJon Hendricks-inspired "Caravan" and the volcanic "'Round Midnight," while the second includes the infectious rhythms of "Baroque Samba" and "Now or Never," as well as the haunting a cappella "Come Home." Leader Darmon Meader contributes, as do most of the others, on compositions and arrangements, and also solos on the EWI (electronic wind instrument). New York Voices changed members and record labels in subsequent years, but some of the work on this 1989 album remains among their best.--David Horiuchi