Trending
MOST READ
2012 Best of San Antonio Food Winners List

2012 Best of San Antonio Food Winners List

Best of 2012: 2012 Best of San Antonio Food Winners List 4/25/2012
Still Waiting for Limelight's Sonic Boom

Still Waiting for Limelight's Sonic Boom

Nightlife: It’s easy to get worked up with nostalgia about a place, particularly one you got wasted in a lot. That seems to go doubly true on the St. Mary’s Strip, where... By J.D. Swerzenski 5/22/2013

Best Place to be at 4:20

Best of 2013: 4/24/2013
Jewel as June Carter Cash: a must see

Jewel as June Carter Cash: a must see

Screens: This exceptional TV movie tells the story of country singer June Carter Cash (Jewel), from her childhood stardom with the Carter Family through her... By Dean Robbins 5/22/2013
Is Piñata Protest Ready for Bigger Things?

Is Piñata Protest Ready for Bigger Things?

Music: “It might get a bit loud,” Álvaro del Norte tells me, as I proceed to sit in the middle of Piñata Protest’s 8 x 10 rehearsal space at a secret... By Enrique Lopetegui 5/22/2013
Calendar

Search hundreds of restaurants in our database.

Search hundreds of clubs in our database.

Follow us on Instagram @sacurrent

Print Email

Aural Pleasure Review

Bett Butler featuring Joël Dilley: 'American Sampler'

Photo: , License: N/A


There's nothing brassy or flamboyant about local jazz artist Bett Butler's lovely and wistful album of standards: American Sampler is indeed a sample of Great Recession twists on such luminaries as Gershwin, Berlin, and Arlen. Butler's heartfelt "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?" takes on additional resonance in these economically troubled times. And that tone of sadness bleeds over into any number of pieces, including a haunting version of Bernstein's "Some Other Time" (introduced by a languid, Erik Satie-esque vamp), and an appropriately introspective "Melancholy Baby," a Tin Pan Alley number now celebrating a century of melancholia. But not everything is doom 'n' gloom. Butler's up-tempo "Over the Rainbow" will send samba lovers over the moon, and her carefree, hopscotching scat on "I Got Rhythm" provides an excellent counterpoint to the album's darker undercurrents. As both pianist and chanteuse, Butler's principal virtue is clarity of form; she's a natural storyteller, and the song comes first. She's aided by some ace work on bass by Joël Dilley, particularly during her jittery, tuneful romp through Kern's "The Song is You." A release party and concert is scheduled for Saturday, March 24, at the Josephine Theatre and costs 120 dimes — if you can spare 'em. 

★★★★ (out of 5 stars)

We welcome user discussion on our site, under the following guidelines:

To comment you must first create a profile and sign-in with a verified DISQUS account or social network ID. Sign up here.

Comments in violation of the rules will be denied, and repeat violators will be banned. Please help police the community by flagging offensive comments for our moderators to review. By posting a comment, you agree to our full terms and conditions. Click here to read terms and conditions.
comments powered by Disqus