'Ain't Necessarily So' captures the artists' true colors
Culled from a three-night run at Birdland in May 1997, Ain't
Necessarily So captures the pianist/vocalist on the cusp of a
transition. The booking came on the heels of Ballads, Blues And Bey, a
solo recital on which Bey, then 57, primarily known for the power and
rhythmic snap of his soulful baritone, complemented his supple,
multitextured instrument with a startling array of free-flowing piano
voicings and harmonic colors. In doing so, Bey revealed himself to the
broader public as an A-list crooner, whose approach to the jazz
songbook could be mentioned in the same sentence as similarly
silkvoiced antecedents Billy Eckstine and Nat Cole. A year later,
Shades Of Bey launched a trilogy of more elaborately produced studio
albums.
