Ballads, Blues & Bey

Though he is a deftly understated piano player and a singer with a heartbreakingly pure voice, Andy Bey's recorded output is scant. Despite stints with the likes of Horace Silver, Max Roach, and Louis Jordan, Bey's only readily available work is this "comeback" disc released in 1996. Ballads, Blues & Bey is a showcase for Bey's range, which begins as a velvety smooth baritone and often launches into the tenor range to accommodate the emotional peaks and valleys in his repertoire of standards. Bey's treatment of those standards is deliciously slow. He draws out lines and adds pauses to squeeze a tune for everything it's worth. Bey uses the piano sparingly, only touching the keys to add color or nuance rather than rhythm and melody. Bey's take on these songs is delicate, as if too heavy a hand might tarnish the joy and sadness he's trying to evoke. A moving and beautiful disc. --S. Duda