Search - Anna Lauvergnac :: Anna Lauvergnac

Chills & thrills all over

Oliver Vitouch | Vienna, Austria | 02/16/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"S/he who has ever heard Anna Lauvergnac live on stage (e.g., in the great Viennese "Porgy & Bess" club, bare-footed on stage) will rightly argue that this holistic aura cannot be properly condensed onto a silver platter. Still, as good as it gets, it has been achieved on her first solo CD. Lauvergnac is Europe's most exciting jazz voice (just ask Mathias Rüegg, leader of the internationally acclaimed "Vienna Art Orchestra"). In the 00s, and with pure jazz, she manages to create the star atmosphere of the dance palaces of the 1930ies and the clubs of the 1950ies. Chills & thrills all over; it's shivering down your spine while you are trying to smooth down the gooseflesh. This vocal voltage is matched by the quality of her sidemen: My favorite is "First Song" ("When The Stars Are Strung", Charlie Haden) with Boris Kozlov's double-bass intro. Although not all tracks are of equal quality: 5 stars plus, a clear-cut recommendation!"