Verse

by Patricia Barber

Many jazz fans have lost the ability to imagine the future, yet anything innovative in jazz vocals has taken place in spite of people lamenting the loss of Sarah, Peggy, Carmen, and Ella. People try to appropriate, copyright and own the music, but it refuses to be contained. In spite of the people who don’t want to see music change, it finds its way like water coursing through rocks.

Patricia Barber

She does not conform to any of “female jazz singer” clichés. Especially so on Verse. There are no “standards” — all songs are written by Ms Barber except for Dansons La Gigue (which is based on a poem of Paul Verlaine and sung in French). Barber’s own lyrics is miles away from the usual stuff that jazz singers nowadays (are supposed to) sing. In words of Matt Collar, “it could be considered serious modern poetry if only it didn’t rhyme.” And boy, can she play piano.

If I Were Blue if i were blue like David Hockney’s pool dive into me and glide under a California sky inside your mouth and nose and eyes am i if i were blue like Edward Hopper’s afternoon lift the sash to air the breeze let my summer flush your cheek lie supine beneath the soft and gentle season would that this were that this is more like black dark as darkest indigo sickly sweet and ripe like nothing smothering light bring on the pelting rain palpable sensual pain like Goya in his studio in the thick of night absence is dull and silent if i were blue a pale Picasso blue as beauty is to sorrow let me cover you in sleep and in your melancholy i would give you peace if i were blue