Andy Bey - Pages From An Imaginary Life (2014)

Coming off his Grammy-nominated 2013 album, The World According to Andy Bey, vocalist/pianist Andy Bey delivers the equally compelling 2014 release Pages from an Imaginary Life. As with its predecessor, Pages finds the jazz iconoclast returning to his roots with a set of American Popular Song standards done in a ruminative, stripped-down style. This is Bey, alone at the piano, delving deeply into the harmony, melody, and lyrics of each song. But don't let the spare setting fool you. Bey is a master of interpretation. In his seventies at the time of recording, and having performed over the years in a variety of settings from leading his own swinging vocal trio, to working with hard bop pioneer Horace Silver, to exploring the avant-garde with Archie Shepp, Bey has aged into a jazz oracle who doesn't so much perform songs as conjure them from somewhere in the mystical ether of his psyche. Famously blessed with a distinctive, sonorous baritone warble, Bey's voice has only ripened over the years to a warm, burnished, woody resonance; a sound perfectly suited for these poignant, romantic songs. In his hands, songs like "My Foolish Heart," "How Long Has This Been Going On?," and "Everything I Have Is Yours," take on new hues of gorgeous devastation. And yet, there's still something hopeful, swinging, and urbane about Bey's performances, and songs like "Lover Come Back to Me" and "Take the 'A' Train," are, as with all of the music on Pages from an Imaginary Life, joyous, earthy celebrations of life and love.

Tracklist:

01. My Foolish Heart (5:04)
02. How Long Has This Been Going On? (5:44)
03. Jealousy (3:29)
04. I've Got a Right to Sing the Blues (5:50)
05. Love For Sale (4:21)
06. Worried Life Blues (4:12)
07. Bad Luck May Be Good Luck (4:49)
08. Lover Come Back To Me (3:18)
09. Good Morning Heartache (4:53)
10. Dod Eat Dog (2:12)
11. Humor Keeps Us Alive (3:46)
12. Take the "a" Train (3:19)
13. Everything I Have Is Yours (4:47)
14. All That Glitter's Not Gold (5:20)
15. All Roads Lead Back to You (5:33)