Dov Manski & Kristin Slipp - A Thousand Julys (2013)

Listening to A Thousand Julys gave me a continual sense that—finally—I was listening to a jazz record that might truly appeal to a non-jazz audience in a fresh way. Without being calculated or hiply “indie”, this music seems to jump effortlessly from one style to another, from one age to another. It may contain a hip downtown eclecticism on the one hand, but listening to the gorgeous “For Heaven’s Sake” suggests that a Broadway fan would love this music just as much.

“We would love this record to transcend a jazz audience,” says Slipp. “I think for both of us this is a project where we feel we are at our most authentic.” Slipp also plays with the indie-avant band Cuddle Magic, where she is beyond category in a whole other way, “My other band plays its part in how this music sounds. I’m always checking out pop and indie-rock and folk music.”

Manski too, like every musician from his and Slipp’s generation, works outside of jazz all the time. “I’m playing with rock and pop bands, playing contemporary gospel music with a dance company. We both check out all kinds of music. It’s not about the genre of music, it’s the quality of the music. There are a few underlying things that I take away from other genres that I try to play and try to incorporate. I don’t worry about what will fit into a specific genre’s language but what will sound good.”

Kristin jumps in with agreement. “What Dov said is spot on. We are always performing and listening. We have to figure out our voice in these different contexts. When we come together it’s the same—what’s our voice for these songs? What are the best things we have to offer in this context?

“We both appreciate the core essence of a song,” Slipp says. “Simplicity.”

Tracklist:

1. Smoke Gets In Your Eyes
2. I Get Along Without You Very Well
3. You Got To My Head
4. The Way You Look Tonight
5. I Cover The Waterfront
6. Duke Ellington's Sound Of Love
7. For Heaven's Sake
8. I Concentrate On You
9. Just One Of Those Things
10. End Of A Love Affair
11. Violets For Your Furs
12. Smoke Gets In Your Eyes