Scott Dunn with Claire Martin and The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra – I Watch You Sleep

Eine Hommage an Sir Richard Rodney Bennett und seine Liebe zum Jazz

Der amerikanische Dirigent und Pianist Scott Dunn und die renommierte britische Sängerin Claire Martin verbeugen sich tief vor ihrem verstorbenen Freund

Der gefeierte amerikanische Dirigent und Pianist Scott Dunn und die renommierte britische Sängerin Claire Martin lernten Richard Rodney Bennett Anfang der 1990er Jahre kennen.
Diese Aufnahme ist ihre Hommage an Sir Richard Rodney Bennett und seine Liebe zum Jazz. Bennett, ein außergewöhnlicher Pianist, Konzert- und Soundtrackkomponist, war auch ein hervorragender Jazzpianist, Songschreiber und Texter sowie ein einnehmender Sänger. Er wurde 1998 zum Ritter geschlagen und starb vor etwas mehr als 10 Jahren, im Jahr 2012.

Zu den Songschreibern auf diesem Album gehören Vernon Duke, Harold Arlen, Johnny Mandel, Kurt Weill und Ira Gershwin -plus eine gute Nummer von Richard Rodney Bennett selbst. Zusätzlich zu Dunn und Martin sind als einzelne Musiker zu hören unter anderem: Ryan Quigley, Flügelhorn; Rob
Barron, Klavier; Jeremy Brown, Kontrabass Bass; und Matt Skelton, Schlagzeug – sowie sowie die großartigen Musiker des Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

Scott Dunn introduces the album perfectly in the booklet notes: “This lush recording is a tribute to Sir Richard Rodney Bennett and his love of jazz. Bennett pursued multiple musical fields with extraordinary success. Not only was he an incredible pianist; one of Britain’s leading concert composers and Pierre Boulez’ first student, he was also a prolific film composer who contributed to some fifty movies and won Oscar nominations for Far From The Madding Crowd (1967), Nicholas And Alexandra (1971) and Murder On The Orient Express (1974). Alongside all of this, Bennett sustained a career as a jazz pianist, singer, songwriter and lyricist. His stints at New York’s Algonquin Hotel and London’s Pizza on the Park were legendary. He often appeared alone but among his distinguished partners were singers Cleo Laine, Eartha Kitt, Chris Connor, Marion Montgomery, Mary Cleere Haran and Claire Martin. It is to celebrate this jazz side of our late friend, that Claire Martin, Gill Graham and I conceived this recording.” American conductor Scott Dunn – one of the most versatile and capable musicians of his generation – has appeared with leading orchestras in the United States, the UK and all over the world. Dunn is a passionate promoter of American and contemporary music, with a special affinity for film and cross-over composers ranging from George Gershwin and Rufus Wainwright to Leonard Rosenman and Danny Elfman. He made his momentous Carnegie Hall debut playing the premiere of his own orchestration of the ‘lost’ Vernon Duke Piano Concerto in C. Also a distinguished pianist, Dunn was a student of Byron Janis and a former assistant to Lukas Foss. He has held posts with Pittsburgh Opera, New York City Opera, Glimmerglass Opera and currently serves as associate conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s Hollywood Bowl Orchestra.
Claire Martin has established herself as a tour de force on the UK jazz scene. She has enjoyed worldwide critical acclaim and gained many honours, including eight British Jazz Awards, during a career of over three decades. In 2018 she was the proud recipient of the BASCA Gold Badge Award for her contribution to jazz and was voted Jazz Vocalist of the Year at the Parliamentary Jazz Awards in 2022. Claire became a professional singer at nineteen and signed to the prestigious Glasgow based Linn Records in 1990, Claire has since released twenty albums with the label, collaborating with musical luminaries including Martin Taylor, John Martyn, Stéphane Grappelli, Kenny Barron, Sir Richard Rodney Bennett and Jim Mullen on many of these recordings. She has also recorded three albums for the Copenhagen-based Stunt Records, including the highly praised ‘Songs & Stories’ album with Callum Au in 2020. Claire has performed worldwide with her trio and, until his death in 2012, worked extensively with the celebrated composer and pianist Sir Richard Rodney Bennett in a cabaret duo setting both in England and the US where they played to sell-out houses at venues. Claire has appeared as a featured soloist with the Hallé, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, the RTÉ Concert Orchestra, the Royal Northern Sinfonia, the BBC Big Band and the BBC Concert Orchestra. She co-presented BBC Radio 3’s flagship jazz program ‘Jazz Line-Up’ from 2000 to 2017 and interviewed many of her musical heroes, including Pat Metheny and the late Michael Brecker. At the Queen’s Birthday Honours in June 2011 Claire was delighted to be awarded an OBE for services to Jazz.

I Watch You Sleep / Autumn in New York / It’s Only a Paper Moon / For Ev’ry Man There’s a Woman – It Was Written In The Stars / Round About / I’ll Always Leave the Door A Little Open / I Wish I’d Met You / Don’t Play Games With Love / Goodbye For Now / Early To Bed / I Never Went Away / Let’s Go and Live in the Country / Not Exactly Paris / My Ship / I Wonder What Became Of Me / It Was Written in the Stars.

Scott Dunn: conductor, arranger (piano on tracks 15 and 16); Claire Martin: vocals; Ryan Quigley: flugelhorn; Rob Barron: piano; Jeremy Brown: double Bass; Matt Skelton: drums; and The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

CD: STUCD23012, LP: STULP23011 Stunt Records, Sundance Music ApS, www.sundance.dk