Recording of the month: Nashville is well known for its fabulous country singers, but on the evidence of this CD, jazz, too, is alive there, and doing very, very well. Pianist Beegie Adair has 34 recordings to her credit, and she and her trio - bassist Roger Spencer and drummer Chris Brown - play a weekly date at F. Scott s Restaurant & Jazz Bar, whose patrons must count themselves very fortunate to hear such amazing music. The three have played together a long time, and their musical lines weave in and out comfortably as the musical spotlight shines first on one, then the other.

Though each has a distinct musical personality, they come together in perfect unanimity, seeming to breathe together - tight-knit is an understatement. Singer Monica Ramey used to go hear the trio, and once in a while they d ask her to sit in. One thing led to another, and now comes this disc of songs from the Great American Songbook. Ramey sounds as if she s been singing with the trio for decades. Her fine voice, when used saucily, as in Witchcraft here, can sound a bit like Ella Fitzgerald s, but most of the time she reminds me of Barbra Streisand, whom Ramey lists as an influence. Things get off to a rousing, rhythmic start with a driving version of As Long as I Live, followed by a ruminative I Thought About You. Later we re treated to a jumping version of Steve Allen s This Could Be the Start of Something Big, propelled by Spencer s unerringly accurate and musical bass lines, to which is added a dynamic break: a saxophone solo by guest Denis Solee. A sultry version of Irving Berlin s Change Partners adds another guest, trumpeter George Tidwell. Ramey makes this one downright sexy, singing as if whispering in the listener s ear. Both guests join in a heartfelt performance of Will You Still Be Mine?, but the final track is just Ramey and Adair in a nostalgic, pitch-perfect version of Why Did I Choose You?, a song that did so well for Streisand in her early days. The sound throughout is spot-on, with presence, transparency, warmth, and ideal balances. Though we can always hear them on recordings, the great female singers are almost all gone now. It s time we embraced some of the great artists of this generation. I d like to nominate Monica Ramey, especially when she s singing with the Beegie Adair Trio. Lucky Nashville. Lucky you when you hear this CD. -Rad Bennett, Ultra Audio

Anthony Wilson says this thrush can warble and Adair went so far as to start a record label to release her, so I'm tempted not to even listen to it and just tell you it's a winner. Not sporting? Oh, alright, I'll be back in an hour. Tick tick tick tick. Back again. I win. How does so much cool, mainstream jazz come out of Nashville? Pairing an mainstream jazz trio that's proud of being mainstream and a vocalist who knows how to deliver in service to the song yields a classic feeling jazz vocal record with no dust on it. Exactly what you'd go to a piano bar to hear instead of dried cheese they usually serve, this is jazz to hang out with. Abashedly accessible from all the participants, this is a great gateway drug for potential jazzbos too intimidated by the jazz police and unable to know which Coltrane and Miles to jump in with. Well done throughout. -Midwest Record

Monica Ramey and the Beegie Adair Trio (Adair Music Group No Catalog Number) brought to my attention a superb vocalist from Nashville, namely MONICA RAMEY. This is Ramey s second album, and finds her in the company of the fine jazz pianist Beegie Adair, a longtime presence on the Nashville jazz scene. Listening to the opening track, a very hip reading of As Long As I Live, it is immediately apparent that this is a lady who knows how to sing. Having Adair and her compatriots, bassist Roger Spencer and drummer Chris Brown, with occasional contributions from George Tidwell on trumpet and Denis Solee on tenor sax, as her musical foundation is a definite plus. Her song selection is terrific, offering a program replete with tunes mostly familiar, but not overdone, songs like I ll Close My Eyes, Oh! Look At Me Now, You Fascinate Me So, It Amazes Me and Will You Still Be Mine? Most impressive is Ramey s excellent feeling for lyric interpretation. This album should propel Ramey into the national spotlight, a place that she deserves to be. -Joe Lang, Jersey Jazz Society Magazine

Track List:
01. As Long As I Live (4:23)
02. I Thought About You (5:56)
03. I'll Close My Eyes (with George Tidwell) (6:48)
04. Witchcraft (4:11)
05. This Could Be The Start Of Something Big (with Denis Solee) (3:37)
06. Change Partners (with George Tidwell) (7:48)
07. Oh! Look At Me Now (4:08)
08. Lullaby Of The Leaves (with Denis Solee) (5:44)
09. Fly Away (5:21)
10. You Fascinate Me So (with Denis Solee) (4:45)
11. Whisper Not (5:19)
12. It Amazes Me (5:50)
13. Will You Still Be Mine? (with George Tidwell & Denis Solee) (3:49)
14. Why Did I Choose You? (4:54)

Monica Ramey - vo
Beegie Adair - p
Roger Spencer - b
Chris Brown - d
George Tidwell - tp, flgn
Denis Solee - saxes, fl