Local jazz singer Alex Pangman’s last disc, 33, felt inspired – perhaps because most of its songs were from the same early 1930s era. The selections on Have A Little Fun, though drawn from and influenced by a similar time period, sound more haphazard.
Pangman recorded half of them with legendary American guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli in one morning session at Don Kerr’s Rooster Studios. His flurry of guitar work, as well as Drew Jurecka’s violin and Michael Herring on bass, can be heard on those tracks.
The other half were recorded a couple years later at the Rooster with Pangman’s live band, the Alleycats. It makes us wonder: why didn’t she make this into two leaner albums with different moods?
Of note are her 30s-style originals, especially mellow highlight The Fog Song, featuring Laurie Bower on slinky trombone. (Sarah Greene)