Vocalist
Marcelle Gauvin is backed by a strong group of players on her second release,
The Edge of the Pond. Pianist
John Harrison, bassist
Brian Torff, and drummer
Alan Hall comprise the core band, with superb tenor saxophonist
Dino Govoni providing concise, riveting solos on half of the 12 cuts.
Gauvin's voice is seasoned and pretty, equally adept with ballads ("Saturday," "Dedicated to You"), mid-tempo bop classics ("Monk's Dream," "Doodlin'"), and bright swing ("By Myself," "I Believe In You"). She sounds particularly joyful on the Brazilian repertoire -- back-to-back readings of
Djavan's "Limão" (sung in Portuguese) and
Jobim's majestic "Double Rainbow." There are other alluring twists, like
Gauvin's French/English delivery of the beautiful, little-known "L'Etang," her spirited duet with
Brian Torff on the
Beatles tune "Fixing a Hole," and her ballad rendition of "You Stepped Out of a Dream" (arrangement courtesy of pianist Matt Richard).