''Rain or Shine'' is an album by pianist
Jodie Christian
Jodie Christian (February 2, 1932 – February 13, 2012)
- accessed February 14, 2012
. It was recorded during May 1991 and December 1993 at Riverside Studio in Chicago, and was released in 1994 by
Delmark Records
Delmark Records is an American jazz and blues independent record label. It was founded in 1958 and is based in Chicago, Illinois. The label originated in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1953 when then owner, and founder, Bob Koester released a record ...
. On the album, Christian is joined by saxophonists
Art Porter and
Roscoe Mitchell, trombonist Paul McKee, bassist
Larry Gray, drummers Ernie Adams, George Hughes, and Vincent Davis, and vocalist Francine Griffin.
Reception
In a review for
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...
,
Scott Yanow wrote: "Christian's versatility is displayed during this wide-ranging set and most of the selections work quite well."
The authors of ''
The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings
''The Penguin Guide to Jazz'' is a reference work containing an encyclopedic directory of jazz recordings on CD which were (at the time of publication) currently available in Europe or the United States. The first nine editions were compiled ...
'' stated: "'Let's Try' is a fine opener with sterling work by McKee and Porter and the ballad medley works well." However, they disliked the tracks that feature "an unusually sour and argumentative Roscoe Mitchell," noting that they "don't fit in, no matter how nobly Christian tries to bring them round."
Track listing
# "Let's Try" (
Tom McIntosh) – 6:42
# "Song For Atala" (Roscoe Mitchell) – 8:03
# Ballad Medley: "
My Foolish Heart" (
Victor Young
Albert Victor Young (August 8, 1899– November 10, 1956)"Victor Young, Composer, Dies of Heart Attack", ''Oakland Tribune'', November 12, 1956. was an American composer, arranger, violinist and conductor.
Biography
Young is commonly said to ...
,
Ned Washington
Ned Washington (born Edward Michael Washington, August 15, 1901 – December 20, 1976) was an American lyricist born in Scranton, Pennsylvania.
Life and career
Washington was nominated for eleven Academy Awards from 1940 to 1962. He won the Bes ...
) / "
Polka Dots and Moonbeams
"Polka Dots and Moonbeams" is a popular song with music by Jimmy Van Heusen and lyrics by Johnny Burke, published in 1940. It was Frank Sinatra's first hit recorded with the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra. The song is one of the top 100 most-frequently r ...
" (
Jimmy Van Heusen,
Johnny Burke) / "
A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square
"A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square" is a British romantic popular song written in 1939 and published in 1940, with lyrics by Eric Maschwitz and music by Manning Sherwin.
Setting
Berkeley Square is a large leafy square in Mayfair, a part o ...
" (
Manning Sherwin
Manning Sherwin (January 4, 1902 – July 26, 1974) was an American composer. Born in Philadelphia, Sherwin attended Columbia University before embarking upon a long career in musical theatre and films.
His most enduring composition is the music ...
,
Eric Maschwitz) / "
What's New?
What's New?" is a 1939 popular song composed by Bob Haggart, with lyrics by Johnny Burke.
It was originally an instrumental tune titled "I'm Free" by Haggart in 1938, when Haggart was a member of Bob Crosby and His Orchestra. The tune was writt ...
" (
Bob Haggart, Johnny Burke) – 11:22
# "
Yardbird Suite
"Yardbird Suite" is a bebop standard composed by jazz saxophonist Charlie Parker in 1946. The title combines Parker's nickname "Yardbird" (often shortened to "Bird") and a colloquial use of the classical music term "suite" (in a manner similar to ...
" (
Charlie Parker
Charles Parker Jr. (August 29, 1920 – March 12, 1955), nicknamed "Bird" or "Yardbird", was an American jazz saxophonist, band leader and composer. Parker was a highly influential soloist and leading figure in the development of bebop, a form ...
) – 3:53
# "Coltrane's View" (Jodie Christian) – 10:06
# "Mr. Freddie" (Roscoe Mitchell) – 5:30
# "Chromatically Speaking" (Jodie Christian) – 6:07
# "
Come Rain or Come Shine
"Come Rain or Come Shine" is a popular music song, with music by Harold Arlen and lyrics by Johnny Mercer. It was written for the Broadway musical '' St. Louis Woman'', which opened on March 30, 1946, and closed after 113 performances.
Chart perf ...
" (
Harold Arlen,
Johnny Mercer) – 4:21
# "
Cherokee
The Cherokee (; chr, ᎠᏂᏴᏫᏯᎢ, translit=Aniyvwiyaʔi or Anigiduwagi, or chr, ᏣᎳᎩ, links=no, translit=Tsalagi) are one of the indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, t ...
" (
Ray Noble
Raymond Stanley Noble (17 December 1903 – 2 April 1978) was an English jazz and big band musician, who was a bandleader, composer and arranger, as well as a radio host, television and film comedian and actor; he also performed in the United ...
) – 7:59
Personnel
*
Jodie Christian
Jodie Christian (February 2, 1932 – February 13, 2012)
- accessed February 14, 2012
– piano, synthesizer, vocals
*
Roscoe Mitchell – alto saxophone (track 6), soprano saxophone (track 5), oboe (track 2)
*
Art Porter – alto saxophone (tracks 1, 3, 5–7, 9)
* Paul McKee – trombone (tracks 1, 7, 9)
*
Larry Gray – bass
* Ernie Adams – drums (tracks 1, 3, 7, 9)
* George Hughes – drums (tracks 1, 4, 8)
* Vincent Davis – drums (tracks 2, 5, 6)
* Francine Griffin – vocals (tracks 4, 8)
References
{{Reflist
1994 albums
Jodie Christian albums
Delmark Records albums