A Very Naama Twofer...Part II.
The Singles "I Had The Craziest Dream" and "Someday I'll Find You."
New York City jazz vocalist, Naama, remains “Deep In a Dream,” providing the single twofer “I Had The Craziest Dream” and “Someday I’ll Find You.”
Continuing with her survey of the somnolent revere, Naama follows up her initial single twofer with her second installment. Hitting the REM hard, the singer treats us to two more singles from her upcoming album, Dream With Me (La Reserve). For this twofer, Naama augments her core rhythm section of pianist Jeb Patton and bassist Dave Baron with vibraphonist Simon Moullier, who contributes his own dream-inducing charm to the project.
“I Had The Craziest Dream”
Naama wisely chose “I Had The Craziest Dream” to include in her themed release. Harry Warren composed the music with Mack Gordon, writing the lyrics, publishing the song in 1942. Harry James and his orchestra, with vocalist Helen Forrest, introduced the song which was featured in the film Springtime in the Rockies (20th Century Fox. 1942).
The band introduces the song with Moullier, spinning gossamer webs with his vibes, anticipating the key change occurring before the singer enters with the first verse. Naama sings the song straight, almost conversational, like she is recounting her experience to a girlfriend at lunch. Two verses in Moullier reenters, giving a lyrical solo that remains close to the original melody. The band deftly defies gravity, remaining light and airy while adding a dramatic element preceding the singer bringing the song to a close on the same repeating figure that introduced the song.
“Someday I’ll Find You”
Naama allows listeners a peek at her treatment of Noel Coward’s “Someday I’ll Find You,” again, including Moullier on vibes. The song was published in 1930 and introduced to the public by Coward and Gertrude Lawrence in Coward's 1930 play Private Lives. Naama’s treatment opens with a solo exposition on vibes by Moullier, shimmering and light. The singer and rhythm section enter the first verse straight, Naama in full control lyrically. Moullier’s solo feature is more complex than that played in the previous “I Had The Craziest Dream.”
Naama’s voice and approach owe more to Doris Day and Julie Andrews that Carmen McRae or Irene Kral. Naama is a brilliant throwback to when singers remained true to the composer’s melodic intent, never straying far from the notes on the page.
Discography
Dearly Beloved (Cellar Music Group, 2020)
If I knew Then (Self Produced, 2022)
Where Flamingos Fly (La Reserve Records, 2023)
Wild Is Love (La Reserve Records, 2024)