In a New York Minute

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Though they receive equal billing, Ian Shaw and Cedar Walton are not equal partners here in the way that Cassandra Wilson and Jacky Terrasson were on Rendezvous. There are no instrumentals without Shaw, no Walton originals; the listing seems more a nod to the veteran jazzman's seniority and talent. Other than an extended solo on "Last Night When We Were Young," Walton functions here as an accompanist (along with saxophonist Iain Bellamy and bassist David Williams). That said, Shaw is an interesting vocalist. One easily hears his influences--Mel Torme, Tony Bennett, and in a swinging bass and vocal arrangement of "I Thought About You," Sarah Vaughan. Shaw's influences, though, are filtered through a gauze of British soul. It is especially evident in blues tunes like "Standing in the Dark" and "No One Ever Tells You," in which Shaw occasionally evokes the young Steve Winwood back when the latter sounded frighteningly like Ray Charles. But more often Shaw's vocal timbre evokes the power and passion of fellow Welshman Tom Jones. This is by no means a criticism--Jones has a terrific voice and tons of soul. Shaw, meanwhile, exhibits none of Jones's Vegas mannerisms or dubious choices of material. Still, with all his jazz-singer intentions and credentials, In a New York Minute contains enough examples of modern R&B vocal histrionics to make one wonder whether Ian Shaw is a soul singer performing jazz or an interesting new hybrid. Time will tell. --Michael Ross

From Jazziz
'In a New York Minute,' comes from the British vocalist Ian Shaw's Milestone album of the same name. Shaw's European performances of the past five years have led critics to hail him as the U.K.'s answer to Mel Tormé; he made his Manhattan debut in the summer of 1997 and was similarly praised by the New York press. 'What struck me about Tormé when I first heard him,' says Shaw, 'was a startling harmonic accuracy and clarity that just blew me away. I think it was the first time I had... read more

In a New York Minute

In a New York Minute, Music, Ian Shaw, Cedar Walton, Bop, Jazz, Jazz Music, Jazz-Pop, Pop, Standards

Average customer rating:

Jazz prowess wrapped in an English accent

Brilliant In Every Respect

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Ian 's magic

In a New York Minute
Ian Shaw , and Cedar Walton
Manufacturer: Milestone
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Bebop General | Bebop | Jazz | Styles | Music
General | Jazz | Styles | Music
Traditional Vocal Pop | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music
General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music
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ASIN: B00000K4JC
Release Date: 1999-10-05

Tracks:

In A New York Minute
Standing In The Dark
Wouldn't It Be Loverly
I Thought About You
Furry Sings The Blues
Grandma's Hands
Alfie
All Or Nothing At All
Shake Down The Stars
No One Ever Tells You
Last Night When We Were Young
That's Life

Amazon.com

Though they receive equal billing, Ian Shaw and Cedar Walton are not equal partners here in the way that Cassandra Wilson and Jacky Terrasson were on Rendezvous. There are no instrumentals without Shaw, no Walton originals; the listing seems more a nod to the veteran jazzman's seniority and talent. Other than an extended solo on "Last Night When We Were Young," Walton functions here as an accompanist (along with saxophonist Iain Bellamy and bassist David Williams). That said, Shaw is an interesting vocalist. One easily hears his influences--Mel Torme, Tony Bennett, and in a swinging bass and vocal arrangement of "I Thought About You," Sarah Vaughan. Shaw's influences, though, are filtered through a gauze of British soul. It is especially evident in blues tunes like "Standing in the Dark" and "No One Ever Tells You," in which Shaw occasionally evokes the young Steve Winwood back when the latter sounded frighteningly like Ray Charles. But more often Shaw's vocal timbre evokes the power and passion of fellow Welshman Tom Jones. This is by no means a criticism--Jones has a terrific voice and tons of soul. Shaw, meanwhile, exhibits none of Jones's Vegas mannerisms or dubious choices of material. Still, with all his jazz-singer intentions and credentials, In a New York Minute contains enough examples of modern R&B vocal histrionics to make one wonder whether Ian Shaw is a soul singer performing jazz or an interesting new hybrid. Time will tell. --Michael Ross

Customer Reviews:

Jazz prowess wrapped in an English accent.......2006-10-04

For listeners enamored of classic jazz collaborations between pianists and vocalists--Cassandra Wilson/Jacky Terrasson's Rendezvous and Janis Siegel/Fred Hersch's Shortstories come to mind--here's a worthy addition to the canon, courtesy of the UK singer Ian Shaw and the American virtuoso Cedar Walton. Be warned though: the album's a bit of a cheat. Shaw and Walton are the frontmen, but they aren't the only musicians on this 1998 effort; the sparse, laid-back arrangements are occasionally sweetened by David William's bass and the agile saxophonist Iain Ballamy.
Mr. Walton is a sensitive accompanist (the pairing pays off especially in the dynamic opener and the honky-tonkish Standing in the Dark) but this is Mr. Shaw's show. Listening to the scat figures in the title cut, it's tempting to compare him to Mel Torme (both have that same fuzzy tenor sound) but Shaw is very much his own vocalist--one only has to absorb the stream-of-conscious syncopations of Joni Mitchell's Furry Sings the Blues or the soul-shouted precision of Grandma's Hands to hear uncommon versatility wrapped in musical ideas at once primal and modern.
The CD's two standouts are songs so familiar they'd risk becoming glaring folly in lesser hands. But Shaw makes Wouldn't It Be Loverly (from the musical My Fair Lady) a wistful, almost Dickensian plea of a man who's come to recognize, and covet the simpler solaces of life. Equally heartbreaking is his take on Burt Bachrach's Alfie, a song from which Shaw wrings every yearning drop of self-questioning. These renditions reveal a vocalist blessed with elegant restraint, and an actor unafraid to lay his emotions bare. In a New York Minute is everything you'd hope for in a jazz album, but Mr. Shaw's gifts transcend genre labels. However he's pegged one thing's clear--this is a singer for all seasons.

Brilliant In Every Respect.......2002-12-11

Bravo to whoever decided to pair Ian Shaw and Cedar Walton.

Everything on this CD -- from the choice of songs, the players, the interpretations, the overall vibe -- is purely magical.

Singers like Ian Shaw represent the future of jazz if we can only allow ourselves to embrace it.

He respects tradition, but doesn't pander. He sings standards as they should be sung -- as vibrant new material, not shopworn standbys. He's also able to hear the jazz in Joni Mitchell, Burt Bacharach, and Bill Withers.

In a live setting, he's a great performer. I caught him one rainy night in Greenwich Village at Fez. I'd never heard of him before, and only went because the New York Times suggested it.