"LULLABY of the LEAVES": Melody Diachun / Bob Murphy / Doug Stephenson

[Mel]

http://vancouverjazz.com/disc/img/cd/m_diachun.jpg

LULLABY of the LEAVES
by Melody Diachun, Bob Murphy & Doug Stephenson
(recorded March 4 & 5, 2002, Vancouver)

Intimate vocal album featuring original songs. Info, reviews and samples at http://melodydiachun.com/cd.shtml

Available at Chapters on Robson, Black Swan Records, Zulu Records, and http://melodydiachun.com

[Mel]

THE VANCOUVER SUN
Saturday, February 8, 2003
MIX - CD reviews - JAZZ
MELODY DIACHUN - Lullaby of the Leaves
3.5 stars

Former Montreal vocalist, Melody Diachun, a recent arrival to Vancouver, does a great job on jazz standards, but it’s her original material that catches the ear on Lullaby of the Leaves.

In particular, the ballad Saint Catherine - one of four originals on the 11-track disc - stands out, a human look at female members of the sex trade, like the table dancer with “outlined eyes and pencilled smile.” They are, Diachun sings, “somebody’s mother ... somebody’s sister ... somebody’s lover.” As a neat contrast, she follows this with John Hiatt’s Little Head, a witty ditty about how some males do their thinking below the belt.

Diachun has a warm, accomplished voice which, on tunes like the title track, shows a formidable range. Pianist Bob Murphy and bassist-guitarist Doug Stephenson provide able accompaniment. The latter plays sparkling guitar on So Many Words, while Murphy does standout work on In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning.

The self-produced disc is available at Zulu, Black Swan and the Robson Street Chapters.

- Marke Andrews

[Mel]

CADENCE MAGAZINE
Vol. 29, No. 6, June 2003
Reviews

The trio on Lullaby of the Leaves play like they’ve been with each other for a while. There seems to be a tight, near-telepathic rapport here. Melody Diachun’s voice is light and understated with a bluesy accent and is supported by Bob Murphy’s piano and Doug Stephenson’s bass to create romantic moods that can be sexy or sentimental as the song requires. Murphy plays crafty piano and Stephenson plays solid bass, switching to guitar on a couple of bossa novas. Most of the set is familiar standards, but there are also a couple of songs by Diachun including a poignant folkish ballad, “Saint Catherine,” and she even stretches into a sneaky Blues groove on John Hiatt’s “Little Head” while Murphy and Stephenson play cat-and-mouse games with the rhythm.

- Jerome Wilson