From Dewey Erney
Have I left anything unsaid about my regard for the great Ron Escheté and his supreme abilities as a musician? I don't believe that I have. I will say that I cannot imagine anyone being more talented and harmonically gifted as a soloist and accompanist. I have learned so much from him and it has been my privilege to have performed with him over the twenty years spanned in this double CD.
The songs on this new CD are standards; some very familiar, some semi-obscure. I would like to make mention of one very obscure tune. It's called "Angel" and it was composed by the late, great Wes Montgomery. The lyrics were written by my brother, Jon Erney, many years ago. I'm glad Ron and I had the opportunity to record it.
From Ron Escheté
Dewey and I have been close friends for many years and I have found that working gigs with him is fun as well as musically satisfying as he is always well prepared, organized and professional. Dewey always seems to know how to handle a melody and do it justice. He also possesses an incredible sense of lyrical interpretation. It is for all these reasons that Mr. Dewey Erney is truly a joy to work with.
A Musical Friendship - Notes by Michael Paul Lund
As a writer of music criticism, new albums are constantly being put upon my desk by singers of all kinds, singers who wish to make their statement of how they think the legacy of American Popular Song should be interpreted. In all honesty, I feel there are only a handful of crooners today that truly understand the music and lyrics of the great songwriters of the Tin Pan Alley era. It's not just a voice; it's an attitude, an understanding, an elegance, a grace of delivery that is needed to again bring alive these songs, songs the likes of which we will never see written again. This brings me to the singing talents of Dewey Erney. A singer who is well schooled in the grand tradition of songs and singers of the past, but who possesses a style of delivery and enthusiasm definitely all his own, Dewey's singing has an honesty and buoyant joy that pervades everything his voice touches. In a word, Dewey's singing is full of dignity and reflects clearly the man behind the voice.
This double album is easy to write about because every track is filled with the artistry and friendship of two fine musicians. Both Dewey and Ron began their careers about the same time and their musical friendship bonded with Dewey's first album twenty years ago entitled, A Beautiful Friendship. Now, twenty years later, and each with many recordings since, they renew that first recording session with a new title, Still A Beautiful Friendship.
I purchased Dewey's first album, A Beautiful Friendship, when it came out in 1983, and it has remained one of my top ten albums of jazz singing by a male vocalist. So when Dewey told .me he had made a new follow-up album to it after twenty years, I said to myself, "That first album will be a hard one to top!" Well I was really wrong on this one! This new collaboration simply demonstrates exactly what the appropriate title states: Still A Beautiful Friendship. More than ever, their mutual understanding of each other's craft is evident here, with each performer still perfectly complementing the other. The song selection is wonderfully diverse, with lots of standards as well as some delightful surprises.
One of the things that make these sessions so memorable is their intimacy. Here you have simply a singer and a guitarist. This is even gentler than just a singer and a pianist. Within the context of this pairing, a tremendous closeness to the lyrics and music can and does transpire. It also forces the singer to stand alone without the support of a band or other instruments and just simply sing from the heart. Few singers in memory have done this and even fewer with the results of Dewey Erney with Ran EschetÈ.
At this point let's address the most important aspect of this package, the songs. Beginning with the first sessions recorded in 1982 we open the program ever so gently with an impeccable performance of the standard "For All We Know." Note immediate the artistry of EschetÈ and the beautiful canvas of chords he lays down for Dewey. As an introduction to this album, it sets the mood for the entire session. A Tommy Wolf and Pete Jolly tune is next, entitled "Little Bird." Upon hearing the way Dewey sings it with his gentle scat, it makes me wonder why more singers have not discovered this gem of a song. Next, we come to a song that was a tremendous hit for a young Englishman named Gilbert O'Sullivan back in the seventies. This a song about lost love and one which most performers who did cover versions of it back in the seventies just threw away, with not even a clue of the depth of this great lyric, never really touching upon it's real message. The first time I heard Dewey sing "Alone Again, Naturally" on this record, I don't mind admitting, tears came to my eyes. The ever so tender vocals and deep understanding of the lyric is truly, a marvel. Listen really closely to Dewey's inflections and how he truly brings this song to life. Just listen and you'll feel it too!
"Wonder Why," by Cahn and Brodszky, is another neglected but delightful tune performed in a gently swingin' manner. "Song Of Green Mansions" written by Paul Francis Webster and Bronislau Kaper, is the title song from the movie of the same name. It has a haunting melody line that lingers. I have never heard another singer do it; it's just lovely.
After Ron EschetÈ had written the music for "I Have Tried", he asked his pal Dewey to compose the lyrics. Dewey did and here are the results. I like both the music and the lyrics to this unique song. The Rodgers and Hart song, "My Romance", is a long-time favorite of mine. Again, EschetÈ lays down a very tender and slow atmospheric opening for Dewey, who grabs the lyric and runs away with it. Without question one of the top fifty greatest standards of a time is George and Ira Gershwin's, "Love is Here To Stay." Here, Dewey and Ron give it an effective up-tempo treatment.
Another song that falls into the all-time top fifty of songs is the Kern and Hammerstein staple, "The Folks Who Live On The Hill". The performance here is slow and loving, with a bit of a twist. The original lyric says, "Darby and Joan who used to be Jack and Jill". Dewey has personalized it even further by substituting "Sandy and Dew" in place of "Darby and Joan". This is of course in reference to Dewey and his wife Sandra. The Jerome Kern and Ira Gershwin staple, "Long Ago And Far Away," gives Ron EschetÈ the chance for a really fine extended solo. The late pianist Bill Evans wrote the music for our next tune entitled, "Waltz For Debby". Later, lyricist Gene Lees set words to the melodic line. Dewey makes this song his own with particular attention to its warm lyrics.
What song program would be complete without music from the output of the great Brazilian writer Antonio Carlos Jobim? This one, entitled "Someone To Light Up My Life," again features a moving lyric by the talented Gene Lees. Stanley Styne and Donald Kahn wrote, "A Beautiful Friendship," and I'm sure would be very pleased by the Erney/EschetÈ treatment here. I've heard, "A Nightingale Sang In Berkeley Square," sung by everyone from The Singers Unlimited to Brook Benton, but the simple straight ahead reading by Dewey remains one of my favorites:
The shortest selection on this first half of the program is entitled, "Sometimes". I positively love this song and have for many, many years. Often I have sat at my piano in the evening and warbled its beautiful lyric. The music is by Henry Mancini and the warm, precious lyric is by none other than Henry's daughter Felice. The opening lines - "Sometimes not often enough, we reflect upon the good things. And those thoughts always center around those we love" - again demonstrate Dewey's dedicated understanding and taste in finding quality songs. What a treat!
We now proceed to the second part of this package and the new session entitled, Still A Beautiful Friendship. It opens on an upbeat note with the chestnut, "All Or Nothing At All," by Arthur Altman and Jack Lawrence. Then comes "I Have Dreamed," from The King and I, by Rodgers and Hammerstein. It is performed slowly and has Dewey opening up all the stops vocally. It's a real Standout. A bright and happy Bossa Nova called "This Happy Madness" is next, from the inspiration of Jobim and Lees. I first heard this sung by Pinky Winters with Lou Levy at the piano a number of years ago and loved it immediately. This version by Dewey and Ron is particularly effective with the quicker than usual tempo.
Continuing with the upbeat, we turn to singer/songwriter Matt Dennis, an all too neglected songwriter these days, for his song "Let's Get Away From It All." Errol Garner's living legacy is "Misty," one of the most performed and recorded songs of all time. So many singers have sung this song, but few really pay as close attention as they should to the wonderful, touching lyrics of Johnny Burke, written to Garner's melody line. Now listen to Dewey and how he places the inflection in just the right places, and to his masterful use of rubato. More Jobim is served us with the ever popular, "One Note Samba." I must say that Dewey and Ron have a really great rapport for the Brazilian sounds and this selection gives Ron a nice chance to shine, with warm, mellow chords conjuring up the flavor of Rio. The unusual end tag is also quite effective.
I had never before heard Wes Montgomery's song called "Angel." I immediately liked it and kept on going back and listening to it. It seems the melody has been a favorite of Dewey's for more than twenty-five years, since he first heard it on one of Wes' albums. "A Day In The Life." Dewey's brother Jon Erney wrote a lyric for this tricky song and now, twenty-five years later, Ron and Dewey have recorded that lyric on this CD. Again, soft and creative guitar work from EschetÈ sets the mood. The vocal line is tricky but Dewey makes it sound as easy as pie. Listen to the masterful way Dewey brings off this performance, as he once again makes this tune a his own. I hope Jon Erney writes more lyrics. If the collaboration of Jerome Kern and Dorothy Fields never brought us another song after "The Way You Look Tonight," we would still be blessed. Here Dewey and Ron give it the gentle swingin' treatment. There nave been many fine songs written about the great city of New York, and Vernon Duke's music and lyrics for "Autumn In New York" is definitely, one of them. I particularly like the benediction line in the lyric, "Lovers that bless the dark, on benches in Central Park. It's autumn in New York, its good to live it again."
Now we come to a tune, "0 Pato" (The Duck), for which Dewey first heard the English lyrics on an album by the late, great Hi-Lo's. It was written by Silva and Hendricks. Because of its light humorous quality, it has been a much-requested tune at Dewey and Ron's club dates. As you listen to this, you can almost see and feel Dewey and Ron smiling. A far too seldom performed chestnut these days is Bernice Petkere and Joe Young's "Lullaby Of The Leaves." Ron and Dewey give it a gentle laid-back rendition. The longest performance on this recital is Gus Kahn and Herman Hupfeld's, "As Time Goes By." Dewey delivers the opening verse in double-time, then slows it down to reverently sing the ever-popular chorus. We appropriately close this friendship session with a snappy reading of "The Party's Over," from the Broadway show Bells Are Ringing, by Comden, Green and Styne.
So we've covered a beautiful twenty-year friendship in song. I'm almost a little sad there isn't more, but to let the cat out of the bag, rumor has it that Dewey and Ron are already planning a possible Bossa Nova album for the future, and not another twenty-years from now! How nice. But whatever songs they perform, we look forward to the next installment.
I've played these 28 songs more than 10 times now and with each playing I find more and more nuances to a appreciate and marvel at. This is the nature of anything of quality; you just don't get tired of it. I have been enriched by my life with many friends and it seems the ones that have blessed me the most are those that came about through the bond of music. I believe I am safe in saying that this is also the case with Dewey Erney and Ron EschetÈ. Indeed, A Beautiful Friendship. Thank you both.
Michael Paul Lund s a freelance writer both of music criticism and of short stories prose and poetry. His first two volumes of books entitled, "Quiet Thoughts For A Noisy World" have seen translated into Braille as well as recorded for the blind. His current book in progress is devoted to American Popular Song and the recording industry. He also owns Serendipity Recordings (since 1977), a mail order company devoted to great singers and jazz. Serendipity is located in Guilford, CT.
