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Rating: It is difficult to talk about the things we love; to do so, we must delve deep into our being.
The intimate is then laid bare, it is exposed, and this makes us more vulnerable...
Johnny Hartman is one of those singers who explores this territory of the soul. Born in 1923 in Chicago, he is probably the greatest male romantic Jazz Singer of all time. His deep tone is wonderful, perhaps a cut above Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby; his voice is perfect considering he was a heavy smoker, smooth, very sweet. He studied piano and voice at a musical college and began his career with trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie in his be-bop band, Earl Hines, Perez Prado... Racist America penalized him from the start because he was Black. He was influenced by Billy Eckstine in his vocal style and Nat King Cole in the direct line from the heart.
On March 7, 1963, he met with saxophonist John Coltrane and his quartet. Under the direction of a devoted Bob Thiele, who showed profound respect for the two musicians, he recorded 6 wonderful ballads, love songs, true poems.
He marked a legend in sung Jazz music, wonderfully accompanied by the -breath- of Coltrane's tenor sax, McCoy Tyner's piano, Jim Garrison's bass, and Elvin Jones' drums.
"They Say It's Wonderful" and we are immediately projected into Hartman's vocal universe.
"Dedicated To You" has an emotional energy in Coltrane's saxophone that is very sophisticated, very
intimate.
"My One and Only Love" with Trane's warm and passionate opening, then Johnny's vibrant voice
masterfully intertwines with Garrison's bass.
"Lush Life" by Billy Strayhorn, minimalist but characterized in the expression of the elegant and technically refined baritone tone, and Coltrane’s wonderful solo on top of everything.
"You Are Too Beautiful" sung with a spine-chilling voice, languid and attuned like a perfect instrument, perhaps the most beautiful and engaging piece, enveloped in Tyner's piano that weaves a
delicate phrasing.
"Autumn Serenade" is a rumba with Johnny's imperious voice that supremely overcomes even
Coltrane.
There are no other words for this splendor. No one else has ever sung accompanied by Trane:
the symbiosis between the two is perfect and reaches absolute peaks, Johnny Hartman conducts with wonderful mastery. Ella Fitzgerald loved him; Coltrane said there was something essential in his voice, something unique, something that seemed to come from the depths of the soul.
This is a nocturnal album, to be listened to alone in the dark, feeling the emotional reaction alter the
state of consciousness. In the company of our own self, we find peace with ourselves and with the world... The remastering in SACD mono & stereo by Impulse Records released in 2004 is very interesting. An album that should not be missing from any collection, regardless of preferred music genre.
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