''Rendezvous'' is a collaborative studio album by American jazz singer

Cassandra Wilson Cassandra Wilson (born December 4, 1955) is an American jazz singer, songwriter, and producer from Jackson, Mississippi. She is one of the most successful female Jazz singers and has been described by critic Gary Giddins as "a singer blessed wi ...

and jazz pianist

Jacky Terrasson Jacky Terrasson (born November 27, 1965) is a French jazz pianist and composer. Background Terrasson's mother is African-American from Georgia, and his father is French. From his parents he heard classical music as a child. He began piano lesson ...

. The album was released on 23 September 1997 by

Blue Note In jazz and blues, a blue note is a note that—for expressive purposes—is sung or played at a slightly different pitch from standard. Typically the alteration is between a quartertone and a semitone, but this varies depending on the musical c ...

label. The album includes mostly jazz and pop standards with one track written by Terrasson. The album's title derives from an obscure Herbie Hancock's ballad.

Recording

Recordings were made on January 4, 5, 6, and 19, and April 4, 1997 at Clinton Recording Studios in New York City. All the songs were arranged by Jacky Terrasson. The music material was recorded and mixed on analog recorder recorders (A800 and A880) without noise reduction; also no equalizers were used during mastering.

Reception

Jonathan Tabak of '' OffBeat'' commented "Terrasson’s piano draws more blues out of Wilson’s voice than the electric guitar to which she’s accustomed. Here she sounds like a more fragile

Nina Simone Eunice Kathleen Waymon (February 21, 1933 – April 21, 2003), known professionally as Nina Simone (), was an American singer, songwriter, pianist, and civil rights activist. Her music spanned styles including classical, folk, gospel, blu ...

. She seems to be kissing each syllable goodbye with heart-rending tenderness, as though she doesn’t want to release her soul’s bounty until the last possible moment. Rendezvous reminds us that a thousand delicate whispers have greater romantic impact than a single shout". Adam Shatz of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' called the release "a luckluster album of standards". Don Heckman of ''

The Los Angeles Times ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

'' stated "The mood throughout the album is dark and thoughtful. These are not interpretations that reach out to grab the listeners. But there are ample rewards for listeners willing to take the time to go with Terrasson's and Wilson's always mesmerizing readings". Suzanne McElfresh of ''

Vibe ''Vibe'' is an American music and entertainment magazine founded by producers David Salzman and Quincy Jones. The publication predominantly features R&B and hip hop music artists, actors and other entertainers. After shutting down producti ...

'' added "''Rendezvous'' is technically a collaboration, but this disc is an affair far more Jacky Terrasson's and Cassandra Wilson's". Bret Primack in his review for ''

JazzTimes ''JazzTimes'' is an American magazine devoted to jazz. Published 10 times a year, it was founded in Washington, D.C. in 1970 by Ira Sabin as the newsletter ''Radio Free Jazz'' to complement his record store. Coverage After a decade of growt ...

'' stated, "Wilson is simply brilliant, her deep, smoky voice caressing each note and syllable. When she chooses, she creates immense emotional tension, just by holding back. In just a few short years, Cassandra Wilson has become the voice of the era and certain to be a major force in the 21st century." ''

The Buffalo News ''The Buffalo News'' is the daily newspaper of the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area, located in downtown Buffalo, New York. It recently sold its headquarters to Uniland Development Corp. It was for decades the only paper fully owned by W ...

'' review by Jeff Simon noted, "this is a marvelous meeting of two of the freshest and most open-minded younger talents in jazz -- certainly the reigning specialists at radically revising great standards..."

Track listing

The Japanese release includes two additional tracks: "

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 ...

" written by Johnny Mercer and Harold Arlen, and "Medieval Blues" by

Mino Cinélu Mino Cinélu (born March 10, 1957) is a French musician. He plays multiple instruments. He is a composer, programmer and producer; and is most often associated primarily for his work as a jazz percussionist. Biography Cinelu was born in Saint-Cl ...

Personnel

*Cassandra Wilson – vocals (tracks: 1 3 4 6 7 8 9 10) *Jacky Terrasson – electric piano (tracks: 3 5), piano (tracks: 1 2 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11) *

Lonnie Plaxico Lonnie Plaxico (born September 4, 1960) is an American jazz double bassist. Biography Plaxico was born in Chicago, Illinois, into a musical family, and started playing the bass at the age of twelve, turning professional at fourteen (playing bot ...

– bass (tracks: 1 3 6 7 8 9 10) * Mino Cinelu – percussion (tracks: 1 2 3 6 7 8 9 10)

Chart performance

References

{{Authority control 1997 albums Blue Note Records albums Collaborative albums Cassandra Wilson albums Jacky Terrasson albums