The Jazzy Vegetarian: Jazzy CD's

JazzReview.com
By Lee Prosser
Musicians: Joe Beck (guitars) and Laura Theodore (vocals).
Features songs that are jazz gems, each selection worthy of radio playtime and highly enjoyable.
Tracks: Each song is a winner.

“Joe Beck (1945 - 2008) and Laura Theodore make the perfect jazz pairing in this fine collection. Together they have created an excellent sound, a sound that is both imaginative and intimate in expression. Golden Earrings is a memorable duo recording that is destined to become a classic of its kind with its impeccable, perfect performances by Beck and Theodore. Joe Beck was always a fine guitarist, and in this collection, he shines. His performances are subtle and complex. Beck is one of a kind, and his uniqueness as a jazz guitarist will be greatly missed.

Laura Theodore remains one of the finest jazz singers in contemporary jazz, and her voice is at its finest in these well-crafted performances. Her voice has a unique intimacy. This is a CD collection jazz listeners will want to have in their home library. If you are a fan of the late Joe Beck and Laura Theodore, you will want to have this CD. It provides hours of repeat listening pleasure by two of the great jazz greats in contemporary jazz. Highly recommended. Nice and easy, perfectly enjoyable!”

Midwest Book Review
By James A Cox
“Recorded over the course of four months from October 2006 to February 2007, Golden Earrings is the collaborative effort of jazz singer Laura Theodore and the late, great guitarist Joe Beck (who passed away in 2008 due to complications from lung cancer). Golden Earrings is a tribute to some of America's most beloved songs - and some songs less widely known, but nonetheless heart-touching. The beautiful musical stylings reflect how deeply these songs touched Laura and Joe, and the result is an album of pure audio splendor. Highly recommended for pure listening pleasure.”
JazzReview.com (review 2)
By Don Williamson
“Golden Earrings is one of those projects that’s so natural for the participants that one wonders why it didn’t happen sooner. Instead, it happened just in time. This dedication to Peggy Lee and her husband-guitarist Dave Barbour represents the last recording of Joe Beck, another guitarist who performed with Lee. In Beck’s case, he accompanied her for over ten years. Though many listeners remember Lee primarily as a singer, lately her numerous compositions are receiving recognition for their universal appeal. Theodore and Beck certainly are familiar with them, and they recharge the songs with knowing charm, gentle wit and appropriate ruefulness. Still, they remain faithful to their own styles, instead of imitating Lee and Barbour—paying tribute while still interpreting. That is, Beck’s widely admired work on the alto guitar, with its sustained tone and two bass strings, is evident from the first track’s declarative notes. Those low notes allow Beck to double as “bassist” and guitarist on “Take a Little Time to Smile” as he alternates the throbbing low-pitched vamp with the more uplifting upper-register chords. Theodore is in sync with Beck’s choices of pitch, rising from the lower depths of her alto range in the introduction to a coquettish mid-range presentation of the optimistic thought (which seems discrepant with Lee’s later sultry, impassive image). Of course, the song most broadly associated with Peggy Lee is her mega-hit “Fever,” and of course Theodore and Beck put their own stamp on it. Beck sets up the backbeat and a chiming accompaniment, and Theodore concludes some of her phrases on major ninths in an energized fashion. But still, part of Golden Earrings’ value is its bringing attention to the breadth and humor of Lee’s songs, from “Why Don’t You Do Right?” revamped so to speak, in Who Framed Roger Rabbit? to the grammatically incorrect “You Was Right Baby.” Some of Lee’s songs, re-created with verve by Theodore and Beck, suggest circumstances of her generation, like “Everything Is Moving Too Fast,” although once again that opinion may be considered true. Or that thought may have become an eternal truth, in this case allowing Theodore to have fun with the words and sentiment. The most memorable moments on Golden Earrings are those that feature the uniqueness of Theodore’s and Beck’s own musical strengths, such as the breathy rubato wordless introduction to “Don’t Smoke in Bed.” Or there is Beck’s emotionally performed, flamenco-derived ringing accompaniment to “Johnny Guitar,” aptly sequenced as the first track of the album. Theodore’s entreaty to the guitarist through the words of “Johnny Guitar” suggests their musical bond and the loss to us all after Beck’s passing in 2008.”

BorderlandUK.com
By, John M. Peters
“I think this the last recording by guitarist Joe Beck before he died last year [2008], so Golden Earrings is a fitting memorial to his magical fingers. That aside, this collection of songs originally performed by Peggy Lee also acts as a wonderful showcase for vocalist Laura Theodore. A sixteen song collection, not necessarily Lee's greatest hits, but a rich selection from her capacious back catalogue, Golden Earrings is fundamentally a simple proposition - one guitar, one voice, no overdubs or multi-tracks. This is music as intimate as it can be. Ms Theodore's lovely voice seems to be channeling Peggy Lee's voice on some of the tracks, but her own character comes to the fore on the rest. She certainly has a similar way with a lyric and an inherent husky sexiness that comes rolling out of the speakers. Her voice is ably and sympathetically matched by Joe Beck's gently swinging guitar licks on the faster numbers and by a velvet glove on the slower - this is simply a love affair between guitar and voice. Golden Earrings is a great tribute to both the late guitarist and Peggy Lee, but it is also a fine showcase for Laura Theodore, and promises much for the future of this vocalist.”

Jazz.com
By Bill Barnes
“Golden Earrings was Joe Beck’s final recording, as he had succumbed to lung cancer in 2008. His absence from the jazz universe is sorely felt. Beck’s innovative approach helped to expand the sonic boundaries of jazz guitar, as evidenced in the wet, rich, and slightly percussive tone of his guitar work on stellar dates with a wide spectrum of artists — from jazz pillars like Miles Davis, Frank Sinatra and Buddy Rich to singer-songwriters such as Paul Simon and Laura Nyro. In this unique, satisfying tribute to the songwriting team of Peggy Lee and Dave Barbour, he joins forces with chanteuse supérieur Laura Theodore and the result is a fine farewell, indeed. Joe Beck was a master of the hybrid alto guitar (featured on other cuts from this album), which allowed him greater harmonic range while covering the functions of the bass. But here the Martin CF-1 also works well within the context of this guitar/vocal duo, sounding almost as rich as a fat archtop. On this track Beck’s sparing use of studio enhancement only emphasizes the lush substitutions which give his Martin an orchestral feel, actually serving to underscore the ballad’s intimacy. His lines are confident, authoritative, and well-situated between reference chords as he solos without really needing any other accompaniment. Laura Theodore’s sultry voice and relaxed phrasing fit snugly with the spontaneity of Beck’s guitar throughout the piece and do justice to Peggy Lee’s poignant, ultra cool ballad.”

MuzikReviews.com
By Rukshan Thenuwara
“The collaboration between Joe Beck and Jazz vocalist Laura Theodore is, first and foremost a tribute to Jazz great Peggy Lee and her husband Dave Barbour. This interpretation of Jazz classics has in turn become a final tribute to Beck, a prolific guitarist who had worked with legends such as Burt Bacharach, Frank Sinatra, and Miles Davis. Beck passed away in 2008, at the age of 62. Golden Earrings pairs Laura Theodore, a seasoned Jazz singer with Beck’s Alto Guitar, which was invented by Beck himself. This unique instrument allowed him to play the bass notes, chords, and melody of a song, all at the same time, providing much of the album with its uniquely stripped down feel. “Johnny Guitar” starts the album off with an inspired reference to classic Jazz with its slow, melodic rise and fall. Theodore’s voice is sweet and gentle with a bitter edge to it, which serves her interpretation of the iconic catalogue of tunes well. “Why Don’t You Do Right?” is another example of the vocalists confident delivery, backed by Beck’s jutting strumming that offsets the striding lyrics describing a less than desirable partner. The duo’s take on “Fever” strips away the cool veneer of the original and adds a lively guitar background to Theodore’s bouncy vocal delivery which is both vibrant and seductive. “Manana” and “I Can’t Believe You’re In Love With Me” are also prime examples of this bright interpretation. There’s no shortage of talent on this album, tracks such has “Solitude” hits the mark with slow and tender vocalizations and “I Get Along Without You Very Well” sounds perfectly jazzy with Theodore’s seductive growl that captures the essence of the song’s post break-up rhetoric. Additionally, “What More Can a Woman Do” is another smooth track that hits its stride nicely near the end of the album. Overall, Golden Earrings is a smooth and catchy duet between a talented vocalist and innovative guitarist, who as stated in the album’s liner, left this plane of existence on top of his musical game.”


All Music Guide
BY Richard S. Ginell
“This was Joe Beck's last project -- an album of duets with the throaty-voiced Laura Theodore devoted to the repertoire of singer Peggy Lee and her onetime husband/guitarist Dave Barbour. As it stands, the Lee-Barbour project finds Beck in terrific shape, darting around in several styles, always inventive, always supportive of Theodore. Beck divides his time equally between a Martin acoustic guitar and a custom-designed Martin Joe Beck alto guitar that effectively combines the characteristics of a bass and a guitar. If truth be told, the difference in sound between the two instruments is not that great because Beck's clear-cut timbre and touch stamp an indelible signature on whatever he does. The main difference is in how the instruments are used, for Beck often seems to go with the acoustic whenever he wants to chonk away with rhythmic urgency while the alto lends itself to more intricate work. Theodore's voice and delivery only faintly resemble Lee's, but that's OK, for she imposes her own, deeper-voiced, more creative personality on Lee's material. The most interesting transformation occurs on, of all things, the covered-to-death standard "Fever" -- now reharmonized and revitalized, capped with a wonderfully weird avant-garde ending in which Beck makes his guitar sound like a CD player skipping on a defective disc. "Manana" is an interesting case -- a period piece in which Theodore dares not mimic Lee's original faux-Mexican accent in the politically correct 21st century, but instead interprets it cheerfully without apologies.

News & Notes
BY MWE3.com
“Although best known for their state of the art jazz instrumental releases—including the last albums from jazz guitar ace Joe Beck—Whaling City Sound has been branching out with a number of jazzy, funky pop albums in 2009. Although he passed away on July 22, 2008, jazz guitar giant Joe Beck was able to release one final pop jazz album—a 16 cut duets album with singer Laura Theodore. The 2009 Whaling City Sound CD release of Golden Earrings finds both Beck and Theodore in primo form on album that initially was conceived as a tribute to pop music icon Peggy Lee and her guitarist / husband Dave Barbour. This casual meeting of two like-minded musicians makes for a spontaneous album of depth and warmth. With just Beck’s guitar and Laura’s voice controlling the sound stage, a lot of the spotlight is clearly on the palate of songs they chose to fill the grooves, including amazing rarities from the pen of Peggy Lee and husband Dave Barbour, along with other jazzy favorites from icons such as Hoagy Carmichael, Duke Ellington, Victor Young and more. Pop fans into rock icons such as Paul McCartney should take a listen to Joe Beck and Laura Theodore’s Golden Earrings as these songs are tracks that greatly influenced McCartney’s muse early on. Excellent liner notes from noted jazz historian Bill Milkowski sheds light on this historic album release. After hearing Golden Earrings, jazz guitar fans will want to take a listen to Beck’s other albums on Whaling City Sound.”



O's Place Jazz Magazine
By D. Oscar Groomes

“This is the pairing of the late Joe Beck's fusion guitar with Laura Theodore's vocals focused on songs by Peggy Lee and her husband/guitarist Dave Barbour. Laura was a big fan and Joe performed with Peggy as well. They play a sweet sixteen songs including crowd favorites "Fever" and "Solitude". It turns out to be a tribute to Joe as well as he passed before its release. He plays one of his custom guitars for the recording and is on top of his game. This is a unique recording that will appeal to Beck and Theodore fans as well as fans of Lee.”



Los Angeles Jazz Scene
By Scott Yanow

“When he was 18, guitarist Joe Beck was discovered by songwriter Alec Wilder who recommended him to Peggy Lee. During the next decade, Beck often played with Lee in addition to developing into an important jazz and studio guitarist.

In 2006, singer Laura Theodore, who had been listening to songs written and performed by Peggy Lee and her first husband, guitarist Dave Barbour, suggested to Beck that they record a duet tribute album to Lee and Barbour. What they did not realize is that it would be Joe Beck's final recording for he died from lung cancer in 2008.

Golden Earrings is comprised of 16 selections recorded by Lee, mostly in the earlier parts of her career. Eight songs were co-written by Lee and Barbour with the singer composing “Johnny Guitar” with Victor Young. Laura Theodore hints strongly at Peggy Lee in spots without feeling compelled to strictly copy her. Ms. Theodore is actually more of an improviser who scats quite effectively in spots while doing justice to the material. As for Joe Beck, he is a much stronger and more adventurous guitarist than Barbour, and is actually closer to Les Paul in his virtuosity and the range of sounds that he creates. He utilizes an acoustic guitar on half of the material and an alto guitar (which includes two bass strings that allow him to play both bass lines and chords at the same time) on the other selections. Due to Beck's inventiveness, it often sounds as if two or three instruments are accompanying the singer rather than just one.

While the material includes some of the obvious hits (such as “Why Don't You Do Right” and “Fever”), such obscurities as “Take A Little Time To Smile,” “My Small Senor” and “Everything Is Moving Too Fast” add to this set's value. Certainly Joe Beck would have been pleased to hear the final results, and one suspects that Peggy Lee would have enjoyed this recommended set too. It is available from www.whalingcitysound.com.”