Singer Denise Donatelli takes a pleasant and personal approach to standards and beyond. The Allentown native, whose piano teacher, Ralph Kemmerer, also taught mega jazzman Keith Jarrett, is a sensitive interpreter and a clean technician.
Now L.A.-based, she teams here with big-time pianist Geoffrey Keezer, who gives this session real heft on standards (“All or Nothing at All”) along with the ability to venture widely.
Together, they take on the challenging Wayne Shorter tune “A Promise.” Joe Sample’s “Soul Shadow” gets treated as a bossa nova, which Keezer says came to him in a dream, while the vibe is dreamier on Christian McBride’s R&B-tinged “When I Looked Again,” with lyrics by Sting.
Donatelli can go in many directions and make you glad for going there.
