Cindy's love of be bop, swing and world music, are all explored in this fresh sounding first album. Her main influences come from jazz instrumentalists, including Thelonious Monk, Bill Evans, Clifford Brown, Bobby Timmons, Charlie Parker, Ahmad Jamal, Abdullah Ibrahim, to name a few. Middle Eastern and African music is also a big influence. When it comes to vocalists, Betty Carter and Anita O'Day inspire her the most with their total seeming freedom to go where the music takes them.
On this album, some of those influences come to the fore, Bobby Timmons and his composition 'This Here' and an arrangement of 'The Party's Over'. A nod also to Bill Evans with 'Alice in Wonderland' and his composition 'Waltz for Debbie'. Clifford Brown's 'Daahoud', renamed 'I Should Have Told You Goodbye' for Judy Niemack's lyrics. The composition 'A Little Quiet' with lyrics added by Cindy, give a first outing for a vocal version of this lovely tune. Unique reinterpretations of 'Love for Sale' and the medley of 'A Night in Tunisia' and 'Caravan' highlight her world music influences, with a tango version of 'Love for Sale', featuring special guest Pete Watson (accordion), and the very Arabic flavoured version of 'A Night in Tunisia' and 'Caravan', featuring special guests Abdelkader Saadoun (percussion) and Ian East (saxophone and zurna).
This collaboration with Dominic Howles (bass), Jeff Lardner (drums) and the highly acclaimed Tim Richards (piano), proved to be dynamic and rewarding. Tim, described by The Times as having "A unique mixture formed from his admiration of both expansive, robust playing of McCoy Tyner and the luminous delicacy of Abdullah Ibrahim" was a perfect partner for such an eclectic and rhythmic outing.
