Winstone; Norma/Gesing; Klaus/Venier; Glauco: Dance Without Answer

There much unexpected in the expected tones delivered on Dance Without Answer, the latest release from trio Norma Winstone (vocals), Glauco Venier (piano) and Klaus Gesing (bass clarinet, soprano saxophone). Kid's tunes sit alongside chart classics, enigmatic Rock numbers ambling passed self penned material; while all the while the mood is sombre, controlled and intense. For while this brave and sparsely arranged set of songs leaves much to the imagination through suggestion rather than insistence, allowing the space between to often become the point of the whole, there's no doubting the uneasy, darting atmosphere. It's like film noire, but less self knowing, like filmic creations without images, like a painting on a wall that seems more intent to stare at you, than you at it... So intense are some of the tracks here, "High Places" where the sax reaches for the heights, or "Live To Tell Music" where a shaft of light breaks into gloom that proves otherwise impregnable, often it is hard to tell if the lyrics are uplifting, or heart breaking. Possibly it's both...

So what is the Muppets made famous "Bein' Green" doing in this company? And why is the usually shuffling delight of the Nilsson classic, "Everybody's Talkin'" closing the show? But then we also have "Time Of No Reply" and "San Diego Serenade" originally by Nick Drake and Tom Waits respectively. Somehow they all come together seamlessly to create an incredibly cohesive album that turns all of its songs into deep, dark, yet oddly smile inducing wanders through times, places and ideas far from where you sit listening to it.

Winstone's voice is a picture of control and emotion, Venier's piano drips notes like rain into melody filled lakes, Gesing's sax and clarinet add the melancholy, while offering the release. For some the tone may be too similar from song to song and truth be told, they'd have a point I can't argue with. It is a fault of sorts, but an intentional one and one which those who have already given themselves over to the atmosphere will merely scoff at.

Beautiful, poised, intense and full of life, yet never fanciful or indeed light of mood, Dance Without Answer is an album to bring memories of past good times to mind and to make you miss friends from years gone by....but in a good way.

Track Listing
1. Dance Without Answer
2. Cucurrucucu Paloma
3. High Places
4. Gust Da Essi Viva
5. Ator Ator
6. Live To Tell Music
7. It Might Be You
8. Time Of No Reply
9. San Diego Serenade
10. A Breath Away
11.Bein' Green
12. Slow Fox
13. Everybody's Talkin'

Added: April 8th 2014
Reviewer: Steven Reid
Score:
Related Link: Norma Winstone Online
Hits: 1839
Language: english

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