I've Grown Accustomed to the Bass

• Artist: Sheila Jordan
• Rating:
• Release Date: June 27, 2000
• Genre: Vocal Music

Review

This 1997 concert marked the first time that vocalist Sheila Jordan and bassist Cameron Brown had performed live as a duo. Nerves aside, they had their Belgian audience captivated from the opening of the set. Jordan improvises much like a horn with her interesting choices of notes as she sings the lyrics to standards like "The Very Thought of You," while Brown is also a superb musician, comping perfectly for her and launching on inventive solo flights of his own. Jordan scats an introduction to the playful "Better Than Anything" (a good song that is often subjected to lackluster interpretations), adding a few interesting twists of her own as they take it into new musical territory. "Dat Dere" sounds even better in a vocal/bass setting; Jordan's humorous interpretation proves to be infectious. One unusual part of this performance is her series of medleys that are connected without interruption, blending her originals with standards and favorite jazz compositions into a stunning tour de force. The duo wraps the session with "I've Grown Accustomed to the Bass," with Jordan wryly altering the lyrics to "I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face" to craft a fitting tribute to her duo partner. ~ Ken Dryden, All Music Guide

Tracks

Track Title	Composers	Performers	Time
Introductory Remarks by Sheila Jordan		Cameron Brown, Sheila Jordan	(:36)
The Very Thought of You	Ray Noble	Sheila Jordan, Cameron Brown	(6:43)
Better Than Anything	David "Buck" Wheat	Sheila Jordan, Cameron Brown	(4:21)
Dat Dere	Bobby Timmons, O. Brown	Cameron Brown, Sheila Jordan	(3:33)
Medley: Mourning Song	Sheila Jordan	Sheila Jordan, Cameron Brown	(4:59)
Medley: The Bird/Tribute/Embraceable You	Sheila Jordan, Charlie Parker, George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin	Cameron Brown, Sheila Jordan	(9:40)
Medley: Goodbye Pork Pie Hat	Charles Mingus	Sheila Jordan, Cameron Brown	(2:04)
Medley: Good Morning Heartache		Cameron Brown, Sheila Jordan	(6:10)
Medley: I Got Rhythm/Listen to Monk (Rhythm-A-Ning)	Jon Hendricks, George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin, Thelonious Monk	Sheila Jordan, Cameron Brown	(5:19)
Sheila's Blues	Sheila Jordan	Sheila Jordan, Cameron Brown	(7:27)
I've Grown Accustomed to the Bass	Frank Loesser, Alan Jay Lerner	Sheila Jordan, Cameron Brown	(2:24)

Credits

David Baker (Engineer), Sheila Jordan (Vocals), Jacky Lepage (Photography), Cameron Brown (Bass), Joe Fields (Executive Producer), Sheila Jordan (Interviewee), Joel E. Siegel (Interviewer), Emile Clemens (Executive Producer), Junko Mayumi (Design), Cameron Brown (Interviewee)