Album Review: Bob Bowman- Songs for Sandra

Do you want to make me cry?  Cue up “What’ll I Do?,” the standout track on Bob Bowman’s Songs for Sandra album.

Knowing the project is a tribute to Bowman’s late wife renders Karrin Allyson’s distraught vocals all the more devastating.  While a few selections on the recording are overly polite, much of Songs for Sandra is similarly profound.

The opening track, a sensitive reading of “The Very Thought of You,” sets the tone.  The offhanded brilliance and subtle genius of Bowman’s playing reflect his quiet demeanor.  The gorgeous performances on the Danny Embrey composition “Another Time” are also exquisite. 

In addition to the appearances by Allyson and Embrey, the album released last December includes contributions from Laura Caviani, Rod Fleeman, Todd Strait, Roger Wilder and Eliot Zigmund.

An invaluable document, Songs for Sandra substantiates Bowman’s status as one of the most respected components of Kansas City’s jazz scene.

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)