Live at Yoshi's
Dee Dee Bridgewater'sLive at Yoshi'sis more than just a glorious paean to the art of scat singing by one of its foremost practitioners. Impeccably recorded,Yoshi'sis also that rare live recording that captures the excitement and spontaneity of a performance without sacrificing the crystal-clear sound quality that listeners expect from a studio album. The audio is so good it's easy to imagine yourself smack in the middle of the Oakland, California, nightclub for one of these April 1998 shows. And what shows those were. Bridgewater and her topflight quartet--pianist/organist Thierry Eliez, bassist Thomas Bramerie, and drummer Ali Jackson--put on a fireworks display that showcases the group's thrilling interplay and playfulness while giving Bridgewater ample room to demonstrate why she is one of the jazz world's hottest vocalists, especially when it comes to the vocalizations of scat. A commanding presence in any setting, Bridgewater demonstrates her versatility by shifting gears in a heartbeat from the up-tempo scatted bebop of "Cherokee" to beautiful ballads like "Slow Boat to China" and "Stairway to the Stars." What's more, she takes up the greasy funk ofJames Brown's "Sex Machine" and a long version ofCole Porter's "Love for Sale" that weaves in snippets ofHerbie Hancock's funkyHeadhuntersarrangement of "Watermelon Man." You'll be forgiven if, after the set's rousing finale of "Cotton Tail," you stand and applaud along with the crowd at Yoshi's.--Ezra Gale