"Sense in the Sound"

Lots of people are seizing on jazz singer Cassandra Wilson's much-anticipated appearance in Boston as an opportunity to write about her. It's not our show (though Ms. Wilson has graced our stage), but I say it's fitting and proper. And one article stands out for me. In this week's Boston Phoenix, Jon Garelick picks up a thread that a number of critics have weighed-in on in the past (notably jazz critic Gary Giddins), that of singers singing as if they know the meaning of the words, thus conveying the meaning of lyrics effectively, versus those that don't convey meaning as well, and assorted implications. Discussions on this theme are often centered on the eternal question: "why-can't-we-boomers-sing-standards-as-well-as-our-parent's-generation-did." A worthy topic, and Garelick enlarges the scale to cover more styles. There is much more to the story than my shorthand, of course, which is why I recommend you read Sense in the Sound.