ANDY BEY
Shades Of Bey (Evidence)
Rating: 6 out of 7
By Ken Micallef

   A jazz vocalist who performed with ’40s juke-jump master Louis Jordan when he was only 14, Andy Bey seems more a legend than a literal figure. With a range of four octaves, Bey can usher high notes that send chills up your spine, or swoop so low that you can feel the floor quiver. His is voice as willowy instrument, as pure tone and graceful technique. But eschewing the music biz, Bey has recorded infrequently. He made a comeback with 1996’s Ballads, Blues & Bey, which featured him with only piano accompaniment.
   Shades Of Bey includes the cast of pianist Geri Allen, bassist Peter Washington, and drummer Victor Lewis, who surround Bey with gentle, subtle sounds. Always a diverse stylist, Bey covers ballads, blues, and swing by a variety of composers. On the tracks "Straight, No Chaser" and "Midnight Blue," Bey scats forcefully, recalling Sonny Rollins’s blowing tenor. The harmonically complex "Blood Count" can dog the best singers, but Bey’s rich baritone slides over its challenging forms easily, like cigar smoke laced with honey. But it is on the ballads that Bey shows his true mastery, with Nick Drake’s forlorn "River Man," Duke Ellington’s "Pretty Girl," and Dori Caymmi’s "Like A Lover." Bey’s tone is so pure, his delivery so riveting that he can make time stop. A powerful though quiet singer, Bey has never achieved the success he deserves. His is the sound of experience.