ISABELLA ISHERWOOD, The Sweetest Sounds

Already a major symphony hall, festival and internationally acclaimed performer at 23, versatile, emotionally intuitive Chicago based jazz vocalist Isabella Isherwood’s infectiously soulful and witty debut album The Sweetest Sounds reveals a young artist deeply attuned to the storytelling heart of jazz tradition.

Drawing subtle fire and thoughtful  inspiration from the Great American Songbook awhile incorporating cleverly seductive re-imaginings of classics by Bob Dylan (“Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right”) and Amy Winehouse (an intimate, heartbreaking “Love Is a Losing Game”), she approaches her repertoire not simply as stellar tunes to interpret but as miniature dramatic scenes to inhabit. Isabella’s background as a classical pianist and accomplished actor and theatre director informs her striking approach to these musical narratives.

From her sultry, yearning take on the title track - the somewhat obscure Richard Rodgers’ gem “The Sweetest Sounds,” from the 1962 musical No Strings – through her charming stroll through Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer’s “This Time The Dream’s On Me,” each lyric feels close to her heart, shaped with the instincts of a wise beyond her years artist who understand that naturally crafty phrasing and emotional pacing are just as important as her vocal tone.

Backing her alternately elegant and spritely piano with tight trio quartet of Chicago stalwarts featuring Mike Allemana, bassist Joe Policastro and drummer Alejandro Salazar, she crafts performances that feel all at once intimate, conversational and musically adventurous. The album opens with an unexpected rhythmic twist on “Devil May Care,” shifting the familiar tune into a gently rolling 5/4 feel that immediately signals Isherwood’s willingness to reshape classic material.

From there, she moves comfortably between eras and styles, complementing the Rodgers centerpiece with a sparse, shuffling twirl through “Till There Was You” backed only by Salazar’s inventive, multi-tempo drumming which allows her to strut the expressive depth of her vocals. Other gems include a moody, haunting bass and vocal duet of Monk’s “Round Midnight”  that brings a darker, more vulnerable atmosphere to the mix, and a graceful meditation on “My Buddy” that showcases the pianist and vocalist at her heartbreaking best

The Sweetest Sounds offers the world a grand introduction to a vocalist keen on balancing musical sophistication with raw sincerity, a debut that suggests that Isabella is a fresh voice worth following as her artistic story continues to unfold.