Make Believe Ballroom inspires Susan Hinkson on her debut

Broadway and jazz

Today’s theme taps Broadway and jazz – always kindred spirits – in a range of one dream in my heart versions of Rodgers and Hammerstein South Pacific evergreen ‘This Nearly Was Mine.’

The playlist is led off by a new version featuring singer Susan Hinkson with Bruce Barth on piano, Vicente Archer on double bass and Adam Cruz on drums. Saxist Steve Wilson is elsewhere on the album recording. Hear bassist Archer on the upcoming Danny Grissett gem, Travelogue.

Just in Time explores love, loss and hope. A measured new beginning for Hinkson who previously worked in New York as a real estate regulator. The singer had worked closely with Richard Barth who introduced her to his brother Bruce. She says: ”Back in the day, I used to listen to the Make Believe Ballroom radio show on WNEW that played all the popular songs of earlier years. So meeting with Bruce centered me back to myself.”

The marlbank playlist today factors in both instrumental versions and beyond genre vocal treatments and a spinetingling version by Barbara Cook, plus road less travelled knowing takes in their different ways by: Bob Dylan, miraculous in the ruins of its beautiful fragility; the influential avantgardery of Cecil Taylor; and powerful Stan Tracey treatment that has poke your ears out sonics.

The fact that Tracey’s piano is blamelessly out of tune, something that becomes increasingly obvious as the performance continues, doesn’t even matter given how much so pleasurably the godfather of British jazz Tracey, imbued with the spirit of Ellington and Monk and put under the microscope so often at the living laboratory of Ronnie’s during the Swinging Sixties, finds to create and explore in this instance never mind his legend.

One dream in my heart,
One love to be living for,
One love to be living for —
This nearly was mine.
From South Pacific (1949) by Rodgers and Hammerstein

If push were to come to shove as a completely subjective hot take, of all these Cook’s live version is the one beautifully accompanied by Eric Stern. Pinza’s while ultimate source-of-source vocally is the deepest pitch wise, extremely romantic and massively stirring both for its solidity and sense of solemnity.

The most swinging version is the gospel tinged organ instrumental right at the end, the achievement of Jimmy ”the incredible” Smith who holds back just a bit here at least going by the uninhibitedly rollicking marker he habitually put down so thrillingly over and over again during his long career. Reid Anderson on the harmonically simply peachy Iverson treatment has hugely sonorous bass that also appeals.