Search - Grace Kelly :: Mood Changes

Although that would appear to be a name that has already received all the entertainment world encomiums one could hope for, this Grace has begun to make her own claims for visibility and prominence. Four Grace Kelly CDs already have been released over the past four years, one of them Times Too a 2/CD set. Another GRACEfulLEE includes the presence of alto saxophone icon Lee Konitz as a guest star. But the truth is that even if there were some sort of rational explanation for the amazing creativity generated by this pretty, sweet-looking teen-ager and her instrument it probably wouldn t be believable. Talent of the sort that sparkles through all of her playing, singing and writing is both one of a kind and inexplicable. The evidence is here -- all over this new banquet of delectable musical dishes from Grace s creative cuisine. 1. Happy Theme Song. It s a bright, tasty, upbeat appetizer for the musical feast to come. 2. Comes Love. It was a real project, says Grace. My whole plan was to introduce lots of colors and different textures. She did all that, and more, her alto and soprano saxophones swirling around each other, dipping in and out of her vocals, occasional moments of dissonance underscoring the lyrics. 3. Tender Madness. One of the two tunes on the album with Grace playing tenor saxophone, and it would be easy to misread the title as Tenor Madness. In fact, she was going for something different, an atmospheric musical theme in which sadness and softness are juxtaposed against each other. An intriguing example of Grace s expanding musical horizons, with its off-center meter and jaunty melody. I wrote it, she says, around midnight, and it just kind of has that dark night mystical feeling. A lot of other emotions too, between sadness, guilt, happiness. But it s definitely dark. 4. 101. The bass line surfaced in Grace s mind after she had been listening to lots of Billy Childs and his odd meters and interesting counterpoint, and Joshua Redman s cool fusion. I was sitting at the piano one day fooling and I came up with this bass line. Couldn t figure out what meter it was, and then I realized it was in seven. 5. But Life Goes On. A lovely original that Grace has been singing for a while, written in only two days. But it s going to last a lot longer than that. Her startlingly mature vocal interpretation combine with the equally full-grown lyrics to produce a stunning example of her remarkable potential. Doug Johnson s song-like piano interlude adds appropriate emotional counterpoint. 6. Ain t No Sunshine. Bill Withers 1971 breakthrough hit, all dressed up in a slow-dance groove with a stunning set of choruses from Grace including her quirky variation on Withers famous repetition of I know, I know, I know, I know... Adam Rogers guitar further enhances the mood, adding a touch of well articulated fusion. 7. Here, There and Everywhere. I try to include a Beatles song on every CD I ve made since the first one. This time I wanted to find a good one that wasn t one of their top hits. It may not have been a Lennon & McCartney top seller, but it s surely one of their most irresistibly appealing melodies. And Grace explores its lyricism with her characteristically full gamut of musical emotions. 8. I ll Remember April. virtually non-stop party at that, led by Grace s irrepressible, high speed, Autobahn dash through the familiar changes. 9. It Might As Well Be Spring. Stan Getz and Astrud Gilberto were in Grace s mind when she decided to do this Rodgers & Hammerstein classic. 10. I Want to Be Happy. If you start with A Happy Theme Song, what better way to wrap everything up than a jaunty, 7/4 version of Vincent Youmans and Irving Caesar