Confirmation

After a long layoff from recording following her debut album in 1962, Sheila Jordan was very active in the 1970s, and is in top form on these 1975 sessions made for the Japanese label East Wind. Accompanied by pianist Alan Pasqua, bassist Cameron Brown, drummer Beaver Harris, and tenor saxophonist Norman Marnell, she devotes the first half of the release to a medley of songs dedicated to children. Her intriguing approach to such standards as "God Bless the Child," "My Favorite Things," and "Inch Worm" provides plenty of solo space for the musicians between numbers, while they also dazzle the listener throughout each track. This medley wraps with the playful but charming "Because We're Kids" (penned by Dr. Seuss). The remainder of the disc is primarily devoted to standards. Jordan's adroit duet with Brown in "Confirmation" gives her a chance to show off her scatting. "By Myself" is a miniature duet, first with Harris (on brushes) and then Pasqua as the piece segues into a moving performance of "Why Was I Born." Her performance of Steve Kuhn's challenging "Pearlie's Swine" adds a nice twist to a marvelous date, which was finally reissued by Test of Time in 2005. ~ Ken Dryden