So Quiet - Steve Morrison

Craig Schwarze | 1 August 2007

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So Quiet album launch
8pm, Thursday August 16, 2007
The Basement, Sydney
$20 at the door plus everyone who comes gets a free copy of the new CD!
For more details visit Steve Morrison's website.

Steve Morrison is well known in local circles, both as an Anglican minister as well as an accomplished Jazz musician. His last album, Silently, was well received in musical circles. His new album promises to bring his music to a broader audience.

In So Quiet, Morrison covers a number of classic songs. The style is a combination of beautifully mellow swing and silky soft Latin. This album is so cool you could chill beer on it.

Vocals are provided by veteran singer, Jeff Duff. Glenn A Baker has suggested that Duff would have been as famous as Lou Reed if he had been born in America. Morrison must have been thrilled to secure him for this project. Needless to say, Duff’s performance is superb, absolutely confident.

The first track is the oft-covered Billie Holiday classic, God Bless the Child. It’s a good choice that reflects the understated spirituality of the album. Morrison is here to play, not preach, but his faith is not hidden from view.

The album follows with a number of well known and well loved songs – Mr Bojangles, Sway, Mercedes Benz , The Girl from Ipanema and more. If the titles are not familiar, the tunes will be. A personal highlight for me was the coolest version of Somewhere over the Rainbow you will ever hear.

The challenge with such famous tracks is to bring something fresh to them, without being obvious or gimmicky. I think Morrison has succeeded here. They are fun songs, well played, and make for great listening.

Morrison also includes two original songs, So Quiet and The Penguin. They are well executed, and feel not at all out of place on an album full of classics. Morrison concludes with a unique instrumental version of Amazing Grace, played entirely on the bass.

Production values are top shelf throughout and there is simply not a false moment. You may not know a lot about Jazz, but this is the sort of album that everyone will find accessible and enjoyable. I highly recommend it.