A British singer of Jamaican heritage, Zara McFarlane has carved out a distinctive niche on the global jazz scene with her progressive, yet always soulful style that blends R&B, folk, and reggae influences. Its a sound she has showcased to acclaim on albums like her 2014 MOBO Award-winning If You Knew Her, 2017s Arise, and 2020s Songs of an Unknown Tongue. Those albums highlighted her original compositions and strong Afro-Caribbean influences. With 2024s Sweet Whispers: Celebrating Sarah Vaughan, she highlights her more straight-ahead acoustic jazz roots, paying homage to her idol Sarah Vaughan and revealing her deep grasp of the standards-based vocal tradition. Collaborating with her on the project is clarinetist and saxophonist Giacomo Smith. An Italian-born/New York-bred improviser, Smith has lived in London since at least 2015 and leads his own band, many of whose members are featured here, including pianist Joe Webb, bassist Ferg Ireland, and drummer Jas Kayser, along with steel pan player Marlon Hibbert and cellist Gabriella Swallow. One of the great jazz divas, Vaughan (who started performing in the 1930s and died in 1990) is revered for helping to bring bebop and hardcore jazz into the world of jazz vocals, pop, and standards. With her bright, highly resonant tone, shaded by just the right amount of throaty grit, McFarlane certainly evokes Vaughans style; one that ably moves between bluesy swagger and velvety after-hours sophistication. Together, McFarlane and Smith conjure an atmosphere of warm authenticity, digging into a mix of classic and lesser-performed songs associated with Vaughan. Much of the album was recorded live to tape and consequently, cuts like the swinging "Mean to Me" and "September Song" have the relaxed glow of a nightclub performance. There are even more ambitious ear-popping moments, including the spiraling, double-tracked sax and clarinet riff that opens "The Mystery of Man," the title track from her ambitious 1985 recording featuring songs inspired by the philosophical writings of Pope John II. The songs inclusion here speaks to Vaughans unique artistic choices and McFarlanes desire to spotlight those distinctive points in her career. Similarly, McFarlane dives into the steel pan-accented, Afro-Brazilian number "Obsession" off 1987s Brazilian Romance, Vaughans collaboration with Milton Nascimento. She also offers an earthy reading of Marvin Gayes "Inner City Blues," just as Vaughan did on her 1971 Mainstream Records debut A Time in My Life; a record that marked a comeback for the singer who pursued ever more diverse sounds for the rest of her career. More than just a standards or tribute album, Sweet Whispers reveals just how stylistically broad-minded Vaughan was, a compelling trait McFarlane carries forward with passionate aplomb. ~ Matt Collar

Rovi