Jocelyn Barth: Tell Him I Said Hello
Vesuvius Music

Jocelyn Barth's distinctive voice receives a memorable showcase on her debut studio album Tell Him I Said Hello. No one else sounds quite like the Canadian vocalist, even if faint echoes of other jazz greats emerge in her singing. A number of things distinguish her delivery, among them huskiness, vibrato control, clarity of phrasing, and a commendable disinclination to embellishment. Acute sensitivity to the words she's singing are also key to her expression. Humility and respect for the song are values well worth admiring, and other singers would do well to follow Barth's example. Too many make the song about them; she refreshingly puts herself in service to the material.

None of the album's eight pieces were written by her, but as a vocal stylist she imprints her personality on all. Some are standards, others less familiar, and in amongst those by Ellington and Porter are two by Scott Walker. Recorded at The Canterbury Music Company in Toronto, Tell Him I Said Hello is also an all-acoustic affair that sees the singer joined on all tracks by pianist David Restivo and on six by acoustic bassist Artie Roth; mixing things up is John MacMurchy, who plays clarinet on one song and flute on another.

A pensive reading of Walker's “Copenhagen” introduces the release, Barth delivering the words with care and amplifying the poignancy of the lyrics. Classy accompaniment by Restivo and Roth enhances the allure of a performance one can rightfully deem pitch-perfect on both literal and figurative grounds. Here and elsewhere, a fine balance is struck between the three, with the bassist and pianist both contributing tasteful solos to a number of songs.

Though Barth learned “I Didn't Know About You” from listening to Ella Fitzgerald's 1957 Duke Ellington songbook recording, she doesn't mimic the legend, though a trace of her trademark girlishness is audible in Barth's playful delivery. Less familiar is Bobby Troup's “February Brings the Rain,” a touching ballad whose wistful yearning Barth conveys affectingly. As moving is a rendering of Douglass Cross and George C. Cory's “I'll Look Around” by the singer and pianist that pierces the heart for its heartache and tenderness. The two also deliver a dignified treatment of Walker's “Winter Night” that effectively captures its haunting quality.

Performances of levity appear too. MacMurchy enlivens the relaxed swing of “Lost in a Fog” with a terrific clarinet solo, and all four dig into this bluesy classic by Dorothy Fields and Jimmy McHugh with relish; swinging too is the trio's breezy take on “All Through The Night.” Seven of the pieces are standard song length, which makes the title track, a beauty by Jack Canning and Bill Hegner that Barth learned about from Betty Carter's 1956 release Social Call, stand out all the more for being nearly nine minutes. MacMurchy's flute is a lovely addition to the ballad, but the greatest aspect of the performance is Barth's moving vocal, a model of restraint and taste.

Tell Him I Said Hello isn't her first appearance on record. She's one of many things to like about The Bitter Suite, the superb 2018 release by trumpeter Marie Goudy and her 12tet, and she appears on 2018's Art of Breath: Volume Two by John MacMurchy also. Barth's solo release provides the fullest presentation to date, however, of this Toronto-based vocal stylist, and it's one that well repays one's time and attention.

December 2021