Private Wars by Zrazy

This cd has the word JAZZ crawling up the spine, probably to alert the pop audience of this popular Irish group that this is their jazz album. Ah, and what is jazz? As someone who shamelessly puts flanger on my own vocal tracks whenever I feel like it, I'm not exactly a purist, but I am intrigued to consider this puzzle just a little - what is it about this album that makes me think it is jazz-tinged pop, and not really jazz? There are some very excellent original compositions here that are proper torch songs, like my favourite "I Just Like to Drink Alone" and the title track, "Private Wars". The instrumentation conforms to jazz conventions, with piano and saxophone solos, acoustic bass and drums. Hmm.

I think perhaps the vocal style of Maria Walsh is where the word pop comes to mind. A young singer at a party once asked me what I thought pop inflections were and it boggles me as much now as then. Perhaps Billie Holiday's close study of Lester Young's playing has created a tradition of horn-like phrasing, a way laying back in the rhythm that characterizes a more conventional jazz style. And certain intonations, pronunciations suggest pop rather than jazz, like lots of "yeahs" and bluesy inflections that aren't quite the same as jazz/blues inflections? Well, it doesn't matter, or course. Phoebe Snow came to mind once in awhile. And then, to confuse matters, Maria has a very light, folksy tone on another nice track here, "Beloved". We could wonder as well what pop artists would characterizes as jazz, but that's too hard. Let's say then this is good vocal music, nice lyrics and melodies by Carole Nelson who also contributes sax and piano playing. Grrl power, doin' what they want, mixin' it up.

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