Svetlana - "In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning"
New York City vocalist Svetlana releases a single in anticipation of Valentine's Day
Last we heard from New York vocalist and bandleader Svetlana (formally Dr. Svetlana Shmulyian) was from her bold reconsideration of her earlier recording, the superb Night At The Movies (Starr Records, 2019), resulting in the EP Reel to Remix: Night at the Movies Reimagined (Self Released, 2025). Before Reel to Remix, Svetlana released Snowfall Swing (Self Released, 2024). These latter selections provide a bridge to the singer’s future output.
During her 2023 Fall residency at the Jazz Corner Club in Hilton Head, Svetlana and her band, including pianist Willerm Delisfort, drummer Robert Boon Jr., bassist Kevin Smith, saxophonist Rahsaan Barber, and trumpeter Al Strong. The singer is quite fond of this lineup, having appeared with them at three of her five pilgrimages to Hilton Head. The singer and band’s synergy was so apparent that Svetlana had to have that sound. For several days, Svetlana drove from Hilton Head to Savannah, where she sought a recording studio.
Svetlana and the band recorded eight songs and filmed an accompanying video for each. They released the first three recorded songs as the holiday collection, Snowball Swing. With that done, the singer begins the release of five singles and videos, which she calls Chapter Two of Savannah Sessions. All five recordings will be released between now and Svetlana’s Fall 2026 residency at Hilton Head. The first single from this spate of recordings is the Mann-Hillard standard, “In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning.” First appearing on Frank Sinatra’s 1955 release with the same title, it was a vehicle for the Chairman for the rest of his life.
Was Svetlana reluctant to take this classic on?
No, she is not. The singer distills all the boozy, late-night, bloated gravitas of Sinatra’s version into a fully clarified ballad, beautifully performed by an exceptional talent. Delisfort introduces the song almost brightly, but it dims to something bitter. Svetlana performs the entire song with the original introduction. She takes her time presenting the song, cloaking the psychology of failure in such a way as to keep the listener unbalanced. The centerpiece of the performance is Al Strong’s extended muted solo, a passage of notes so post-modern that it has no name. Purely impressionistic, Strong’s solo is a study of those schizophrenic hours between midnight and 4:00 am.
Svetlana’s voice is key. It is beautifully sophisticated. A quiet confidence infuses Svetlana’s delivery. It is deliciously tinctured with the faintest hint of her Russian heritage, providing a warmth and intimacy that is at once appealing and familiar.