Descansado: Songs for Films is an unusual and provocative album from
Norma Winstone. Her fourth with bass clarinetist/soprano saxophonist
Klaus Gesing and pianist
Glauco Venier, they are augmented by percussionist
Helge Andreas Norbakken and cellist
Mario Brunello.
The 12-track program offers highly original arrangements of songs from cinema, but sounds unlike any other similarly themed collection.
Winstone also wrote lyrics for six themes here -- she is widely celebrated for her poetic sensibilities. While
Gesing and
Venier handle highly original arrangements -- though the most iconic tunes are always recognizable --
Winstone focuses on highlighting the way these songs operated in the relationships between composers and directors, as well as standalone songs. Opener "His Eyes, Her Eyes," from Norman Jewison's The Thomas Crown Affair, was penned by
Michel Legrand with lyrics by Marilyn & Alan Bergman. It's introduced by a minimal piano line before
Winstone enters haltingly, parsing her trademark phrasing in following that melody into darkened corners, highlighting the taut emotion underneath, as soprano sax fills the space between.
Nino Rota's "What's a Youth" -- the love theme for Franco Zeffirelli's Romeo and Juliet delivers "ice and desire" as causalities amid cello, percussion, and pianistic tension.
Winstone wrote gorgeous lyrics for
Armando Trovajoli's title track -- and for Vittorio de Sica's Ieri Oggi Domani. Amid piano, hand percussion, bass clarinet, and cello she openly offers: "We'll go celebrating life and love/We'll gently slip downstream/The halcyon days are gone forever..." without regret. Her acceptance is its own form of desire. Her lyrics for
Luis Bacalov's "Il Postino" for the Michael Radford film relate danger in possibility: "What we could be/We'll never know/A string of memories/That won't let go...." She's buoyed by piano and answered by bass clarinet, touching on tragedy, pleasure, regret, loneliness, and a relentless, hopeless hope.
Winstone also penned gorgeous lyrics for
Rota's theme for Federico Fellini's Amarcord and Bernard Hermann's ominous theme for
Taxi Driver and in each case, extends the realities imparted by the originals. In the case of the latter, its melancholy contrasts with the harsh reality of the city and its dangerous, always-on-the-make denizens.
Winstone contributes wordless vocals to
Madredeus' "Lisbon Story" from Wim Wenders' film and
Legrand's title theme for
Jean-Luc Godard's Vivre Sa Sie, weaving jazz and elegant pop into a wealth of poignant emotion. There's a touch of real sorrow here in the outlier "Touch Her Lips Softly and Part," by
William Walton for
Laurence Olivier's
Henry V. The depth of sadness as it meets beauty, illustrated perfectly by her accompanists, touches on Anglo folk music. Her own lyrics reflect her husband
John Taylor -- who also recorded it and
Kenny Wheeler, both of whom she played with in
Azimuth in the '70s and are deceased.
Descansado is an ensemble recording to be sure, and this group offer tremendous confidence in the elegance of their approach.
Winstone is at a career peak here. ~ Thom Jurek