A record to marvel at, from a singer who deserves to be heard.
Tritone Records
Lisa Rich – vocals; Marc Copland – piano; Drew Gress – bass; Dave Ballou – trumpet
Lisa Rich made acclaimed jazz vocal albums in the ’80s — Touch of the Rare with the Clare Fischer Quartet, Listen Here — before health problems silenced her for years. Highwire, recorded in 1987 and finally released in 2019, began her comeback, and Long As You’re Living followed in 2024. I Still Rise continues that return, and it may be the best of the lot — one of the finest jazz vocal records of the year.
That voice. Rich’s lower register has the woody resonance of a double bass, an earthy warmth that surprises you the first time you hear it. Then she can slide up into the higher range, the notes giddily ringing out. She uses very little vibrato — when it appears it’s lagniappe, a little something extra she’ll add to the emotion of a phrase. When she scats she locks into the rhythm, pushing and pulling against her bassist and pianist, another instrument in the mix.
No drums on this session, and the open space it creates suits Rich perfectly. On “No Moon at All” she and Drew Gress begin as a duo, his bass as melodic as her voice, the two of them trading and interweaving like old friends. On “The Two Lonely People” Marc Copland settles in beside her, his piano shaped to her phrasing, bass and piano clinging to her voice as she caresses each word, making them matter. The room fills — she’s not loud, her voice finds every corner.
On “Estate,” sung in Italian, Rich sings as if to herself — laid back, no sentimentality, just a clear direct voice and a quietly sad melody. She flips the mood entirely with “Take Five.” Where Paul Desmond’s alto was bright and light, Rich scats and sings the melody darker, smokier, adding syncopation. Copland avoids Brubeckisms and makes the piano part his own. Gress lays down bass lines that bounce playfully underneath it all.
She closes with “It’s Over Now (Well, You Needn’t)” and it’s pure Monk — rhythmically pulled back, percussive, swinging sideways, Rich almost spitting out her scat before settling into the tune’s lopsided joy. Carmen McRae sang Monk with gravitas; Rich sings him with a grin. Halfway through, Dave Ballou’s muted trumpet slips in quietly, not competing, just adding, and the two of them duet their way to the end.
Ballou deserves his own mention. Muted and aching on “Never Let Me Go,” he wrings the emotion out of the song right alongside Rich. On “Like Someone in Love” he opens up — clear, precise, no vibrato, a melodic bop player with serious technique — then mellows to match her delivery when she returns. On “Ancient Footprints” the two trade and blend until it’s hard to tell which one is leading.
A record to marvel at, from a singer who deserves to be heard.
