Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Laura Campisi: Double Mirror

5

Laura Campisi: Double Mirror

By

Sign in to view read count
Laura Campisi: Double Mirror
Contemporary jazz vocalists tend to fall into two camps, those who follow the jazz singer tradition of Ella, Billie, Sarah and the other icons and those who experiment with their sound and repertoire. The latter group includes people like Elizabeth Shepherd, Katie Bull and Rebecca Martin. Laura Campisi is another name you can add to that list.

Campisi is originally from Palermo, Sicily but now makes her home in New York City. Her music draws from jazz, soul, hip hop and rock with a fluid approach that changes from track to track on this CD. Part of her unique sound stems from the makeup of her backing band which contains two drummers and both electric and acoustic bass, a combination that leads to all sorts of differing textures, like the rolling percussive sway of "Luckier" accented by Giovanni Falzone's sassy trumpet and the hushed swoon of Björk's "Hyperballad" where Gianluca Renzi's undulating electric bass stands out.

The songs here are a mix of familiar standards, Campisi's original compositions and rock tunes from Lou Reed, Jeff Buckley and the aforementioned Bjork. Campisi's voice is mostly an intimate, girlish coo capable of projecting great drama and it is flexible enough to ride a variety of rhythms like the mysterious electric bass and steel pan weave of "Ironman" and the audacious go-go beat of "Love For Sale" which also features the strutting violin of Zach Brock.

"Nardis" starts as an abstracted collision of plucked and bowed basses, tumbling percussion and dramatic recitation before it swoops into an elaborate, Mideastern treatment of the familiar theme. On "Here Where I Stand" Campisi is chatty and carefree over an alternately flowing and heavy rock beat laid down by the two drummers and baritone saxophonist Martin Pantyrer. Lou Reed's creepy S&M classic "Venus In Furs" gets an unusually fast-paced treatment with Renzi's springy bass complementing Campisi's busy vocal and Jeff Buckley's "Mojo Pin" moves between quiet brooding and rocky swagger with Campisi singing at her most forceful. The singer's own"Al Risveglio" has a drawling, dreamy sound with Campisi singing quietly over the basses and Vincent Herring's soulful alto sax in the trance-inducing manner of a singer like Mazzy Star's Hope Sandoval.

Laura Campisi is an unique singer with a really eclectic approach to music. She achieves a lot with basically just creative use of bass and drums and a wide imagination. Her music is gorgeous, energetic and daring. She deserves a really wide hearing.

Track Listing

Chorus Angelorum; Love For Sale; Luckier; Hyperballad; Ironman; Nardis; The More You Know; I Loves You Porgy; Here Where I Stand; Venus In Furs; Mojo Pin; Al Risveglio; Morningside.

Personnel

Laura Campisi: vocals; Ameen Saleem: double bass; Gianluca Renzi: electric bass; Greg Hutchinson: drums; Flavio Li Vigni: drums; Zack Brock: violin (2); Giovanni Falzone: trumpet (3); Jonathan Scales: steel pan (5); Martin Pantyrer: baritone sax (9); Vincent Herring: alto sax (12); Emilio D. Miller: life-threatening percussion (13).

Album information

Title: Double Mirror | Year Released: 2017 | Record Label: Self Produced

Comments

Tags


For the Love of Jazz
Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who create it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

You Can Help
To expand our coverage even further and develop new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for a modest $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination will vastly improve your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

More

Sensual
Rachel Z
Over and Over
Tony Monaco Trio
Love Is Passing Thru
Roberto Magris

Popular

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.