Finally, a Christmas album from one of the finest interpreters of a well-written lyric. Even though the program you're about to hear contains mostly well-worn songs, Dewey Erney infuses each and every one with a newness and freshness such that you'll think you're hearing them for the first time - and one of them, you are: the Jack Prather original, "Christmas, Rio and You,"
penned especially for Dewey.
I had the privilege of suppling the liner notes for Dewey's debut recording, A Beautiful Friendship (Discovery 11983), and even then I was extremely impressed with this singer's innate sense of the composer's intention. Over the years, and six more recordings, his voice has only become stronger and surer, displaying a rare purity of sound. It's not every voice that can tackle the challenging "A Child Is Born", but Dewey invests this lovely composition with exactly the right sensitivity.
The opening "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town" is from a 1997 date, Time Was (Resurgent Music) but never used at that time. This features producer / saxophonist Dan St. Marseille and provides a swinging introduction to a highly satisfying set. Dewey commented on the fact that it was written by the same composers who gave us "You Go To My Head" and "For All We Know" - somewhat of a departure!
"Snowfall" is a relatively obscure piece, written and recorded by Claude Thornhill, becoming the theme song for his orchestra in the 1930s. Dewey heard a "beautiful version by Singers Unlimited, a capella, and I have always wanted to do it myself. It's deceptively difficult; although there are not many words, it's how they're sung together lyrically that's the challenge." There's a lovely piano intro to this, and to my ears, it sounds as though this song was crafted just for Dewey's caressingly sympathetic voice.
Of "God Rest You Merry Gentlemen," Dewey said: "I had always heard this as a swinging tune. I don't think there's any conflict with these traditional lyrics, which are taken with the same honesty no matter how church-like they were." Every member of the trio is given ample space to stretch out, and the result is a robust retelling of a seasonal favorite.
"'Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas' is probably my favorite Chrisnnas song", Dewey told me, "one that touches my heart dearly. I wanted to make sure that I recorded it with my great friend and accompanist, Ron Escheté. He and have been playing it live every Christmas for many years." This rendition is a perfect example of that indescribable empathy found between two musicians who know each other's very breath. Dewey's control and perfect intonation become readily apparent on this track, and we'll hear that particular quality again later on.
"Winter Wonderland" is cozily dressed up in a bossa nova beat, arguably an unusual setting, that nevertheless works perfectly. This is another track laid down at that 1997 session and showcases the trio led by pianist Brian O'Rourke (however, minus St. Marseille). Dewey's innate storytelling sensibility comes through here, and he told me: "That's what I try to do on every song, put it in a conversational style, forego all the pyrotechnics that a lot of singers might do. I'm trying to keep the tradition of such singers as Sinatra and Nat Cole alive, and keep the tenderness I hear in the music."
Dewey describes "I Wonder As I Wander" as a folk melody. "It's very odd and we tried to bring a jazz flavor to it and still maintain the meaning of the song. It has a very spare opening by Gerry (Schroeder), just playing the root notes. That's what I appreciate from these guys I work with, they have great confidence in me that I'm going to hold up my end
of it, so it doesn't have to be overplayed in order to cover up what the singer's doing." You'll want to pay special attention to the words, and also listen carefully to Jack Prather's lilting solo, which so enhances the overall mood of this darkly beautiful song.
"I'll Be Home For Christmas" is another tune that's near and dear to Dewey's heart. "The lyrics are very poignant. Ron had this great arrangement he did on his own Christmas album a few years ago." Here's another bossa nova treatment that comes across with just the right amount of whimsy and wistfulness.
Dewey first heard "Christmas Time Is Here" in the 1960s when "Charlie Brown's Christmas" was made into a television show. It was written (amongst other material) by the hugely talented and too-soon departed Vince Guaraldi. "I thought way back then it was lovely and that if I ever did a Christmas album, I'd include it. It has very meaningful lyrics, telling about the whole season." The interplay between guitar, bass and voice is spine-tingling in Dewey's loving interpretation.
Dewey spoke of the challenge that bassist Jack Prather's "Christmas, Rio and You" presented. "He brought it to me two days before the recording session! I had to learn the whole thing very fast. I was looking for a suitable ending because none of the other musicians had seen it until we went into the studio. Jack had written a kind of tag, and I didn't make much of it at the time. Then I came back to finish it and it seemed to fit to simply let them play, and I would just sing some repetitions; then I held that last note. I love to do that and have the great musicians be able to orcheshate under the melody line." That last note, by the way, will be a breath-holding experience for the listener as well as it was for Dewey. Surely one of this nonpareil vocalist's greatest assets.
The indomitable "Sleigh Ride" is given totally new life in the vocal chords of Dewey Erney. He told me that he'd heard it every Christmas since time immemorial and "finally got around to learning it. I liked the original Leroy Anderson orchestral recording. It's a very tricky song, as to where the notes go -- after all, it's really an instrumental. It has a very big range, starting out way high, then descending, which is very different from most tunes. The notes have to be so precise, otherwise they stand out like a sore thumb. They're spaced unusually and not easy to hit and still be in tune." Listen to the way he sings "pop pop pop" and you'll get a good idea of what it means to be in tune -- a quality that invests every Erney performance.
The inclusion of "A Child Is Born" is a special treat. This is another of those lyrically demanding works (originally conceived as an instrumental by trumpeter / bandleader Thad Jones). "To phrase it correctly and make it tender and loving the way it should be takes a lot of thought and restraint." It demonstrates Dewey's superb vocal range, as well as integrity toward the lyrics (from the pen of the immortal Alec Wilder).
The medley of "Let It Snow" and "I've Got Love to Keep Me Warm" is a natural marriage. Dewey seamlessly weaves these two popular songs together, back and forth, turning them into one long, fun-filled excursion. Dewey noted that these are not exactly Christmas songs, "but they do fit the season. I like that kind of medium tempo; it's kind of where I live." The trio here is in an appealingly swinging vein, with some quirky drum punctuations along the way from David Derge.
It may seem rather daring to close such a varied program with "Silent Night," and Dewey agreed, adding: "That's probably the most famous Christmas carol of all time. It's been done and done and done; but it needed to be on this album. I started out by singing in the most childlike way I could, almost without vibrato, very simple. Then it goes into a lovely bossa nova arrangement that Gerry wrote. I wanted to finish the album with a tune that spoke to me of the real meaning of Christmas."
While it's hard to categorize what a true jazz singer is, there's no doubt in my mind that Dewey Erney possesses all the characteristics that define that designation. He has an inborn sense of jazz which he infuses into every note he intones. The musicians who support him are some of the finest in the jazz idiom. So with or without the scat and vocalese styles (of which Dewey is certainly capable, but mostly leaves to others), every tune he delivers is a true work of jazz art. When I first heard Dewey back in the 1980s, one of my strongest impressions was of his genuineness. This wasn't just a good, talented singer. I knew that this was a man singing directly from his soul - in fact, he couldn't do otherwise. I'm sure that you, the listener, will be touched to your soul also, as you enjoy Dewey Erney's special contribution to a very special season.
Francesca Nemko
Contributor - Jazz Now, Jazz Times, Down Beat
July 9, 2000
