A transplanted Massachusetts native,
Pam Bricker has been performing in the Washington, D.C., area since 1981 and has made a name for herself. In addition to being a solo act, she was also part of the vocal group, Mad Romance. She has also shared the stage with such jazz luminaries as
Louis Bellson and D.C. jazz institutions
Charlie Byrd and
Buck Hill.
Bricker shares the bill with
Wayne Wilentz and
Jim West on
U-topia which is named after the watering hole on U Street in D.C. where
Bricker has a regular gig. The set offers a sumptuous, extensive, and eclectic play list of classic standards, Brazilian jazz, bop anthems, traditional pop, and a song or two made popular by rock performers, as well as some
Bricker originals. More important than the agenda is that the singer has the vocal wherewithal to stay on top of the material irrespective of genre. She is tender and romantic on "I'm Getting Sentimental Over You," with her father
Peter Bricker doing the
Tommy Dorsey trombone.
Bricker's interpretation of "Goodbye Porkpie Hat,"
Joni Mitchell and
Charlie Mingus' farewell to
Lester Young, pushes the emotional buttons the composers built into the tune. "Superstar," immortalized by
Karen Carpenter, is sweet and melancholy and is one of the highlights of the album and also features imaginative piano ruminations by
Wilentz.
Bricker demonstrates her expertise with the vocalese style on
Thelonious Monk and
Jon Hendricks' "I Mean You." This is one of the few places where she indulges in scatting, doing with it with verve while trading ideas with drummer
Jim West.
Bricker is blessed with absolute pitch, clear diction, better than average range, a knowledgeable sense of the lyrics, and a feel for the beat all packaged in a clear, cool set of vocal pipes. These attributes are used to full advantage on this fine vocal album, which is highly recommended.