Vocalist Ty Cooper’s latest release I’m All For You ties 12 classic jazz standards together with a common theme which is that she is “All for Us!”
The recording starts out with a hard driving medium shuffle version of “I Love Being Here With You”. Cooper’s phrasing of the lyrics lock in perfectly with the strong groove created by the rhythm section lead by drummer David Post, who drives the tempo but not in an overbearing way which can sometimes happen when you are playing a jazz shuffle.
Something that should be mentioned about this recording is the time in which Cooper spent selecting the repertoire and coming up with the arrangements of the songs. She actually took the time to include the verse of the song, which these days seems to be a lost art on a majority of vocalists. Cooper also uses the verse as a way to setup up the song while keeping the listener guessing on what the actual feel and tempo will ultimately become. A wonderful example of this happens on the second song of the recording “I Wish You Love” where Cooper sings a heartfelt opening verse only to have the band setup a rumba style feel for the main body of the tune. This type of arranging helps to add new life to a song that has been recorded thousands of times over the years and it made this listener engaged and wanting more!
One standout song on this recording is the groups version of “I Remember You” which features Cooper performing along with guitarist Tony Cesarano and bassist Scott Rosenthal. Coopers performance of the verse sets up the song perfectly which has a wonderful “in the pocket” medium feel throughout. Coopers phrasing works wonderfully with the steady driving bass line of Scott Rosenthal and the creative comping and exquisite soloing of Cesarano.
Throughout the recording pianist John Rangel contributes mightily to the success of each track but stands out on the song “From this Moment On” which is taken at a bright tempo and features a long solo by Rangel which continues to build creatively until the end.
Ty Cooper’s I’m All For You is a recording that has something that will appeal to the casual listener along with the jazz fan that loves the standards. The song selection and thoughtful arrangements help to keep the flow of the recording light and non-predictable which is the key when you are playing such classic songs. As Cooper says in the liner notes “I hope everyone who listens to this has a memory of something wonderful and knows without a doubt…. I’m all for you”. From this listener’s standpoint I have a very wonderful memory of listening to this recording and I am looking forward to more music from Ty Cooper!