A lot has changed for vocalist/composer/arranger Jennifer Lee since her pre-pandemic release of My Shining Hour (SBE Records, 2018). She left her home base of Oakland, CA, marrying former NFL player George Visgar and moving to the southeast corner of Idaho. Coming out of these seismic life changes is Glimpse, an album made up mostly of Lee's original compositions inspired by her new love and some unfinished business with childhood trauma.
The album places Lee's voice and writing front and center. Top musicians from California jazz comprise the band, including Lee’s go-to guitarist Peter Sprague, pianist Adam Shulman, acoustic bassists Gunnar Biggs, Doug Pohorski and John Wiitala, electric bassist Justin Grinell, drummers Duncan Moore and Vince Lateano, percussionist Tommy Aros, trumpeter Derek Cannon, saxophonists Tripp Sprague and Anton Schwartz, accordionist Rich Kuhns, Justin Grinell (electric bass), and John Wiitala (acoustic bass). Randy Brecker joins from the east coast, contributing his dependable flugelhorn.
The recording features nine original songs, one standard song, and one song (“Dave Don’t Mind The Rain”) written by her close friends, Shanna Carlson and the late Cathy Walkup. Various styles are represented on the recording, including mainstream jazz, bluesy modern ballads, swinging Brazilian-inspired melodies, and upbeat, pop-oriented numbers.
Lee dedicates her recording to her husband, George, featuring five of the original songs inspired by him and his place in her life. "I Caught a Glimpse of Your Soul" describes the quicksilver Lee experienced when she first met him. The samba "Farewell to Comfort," composed in 2017, reflected the monumental changes in her life since then. Sprague wrote the lyrics for the beautiful, wordless, overdubbed vocal interludes. "Vivid Technicolor Love" began with musical phrases Lee recorded on her phone’s voice memo app and rediscovered a decade later, with the lyrics inspired by George.
"If I Only Had a Brain" inspired Lee to envision the song as a ballad after hearing Harry Connick Jr.’s version. The arrangement is intimate, featuring Lee on piano and vocals and Rich Kuhns on accordion. "Serendipity" reflects Lee's belief in a higher power and the power of gratitude. Jennifer Lee continues to grow as a singer and artist with much still left to offer us.