Tina Hartt: “Absence Of You” (2023) CD Review

Tina Hartt is a jazz vocalist and composer who is originally from Montreal, and now based in Calgary. She recorded her first album, You Don’t Know Me, back in 2000, and though she has been performing since then, she did not release another album until this year. Absence Of You contains a mix of original compositions and covers, and, not surprisingly since so much time has passed, it features a completely different band backing her. Joining her on this release are Konrad Pluta on piano and accordion, Jeff Fafard on drums and percussion, Rob Hutchinson on double bass, Jonathan D. Lewis on viola and violin, Luis Tovar on percussion, Cédric Blary on clarinet, Keith O’Rourke on baritone saxophone, André Wickenheiser on flugelhorn, and Nick Bettcher on guitar. Tina Hartt sings in both English and French on these tracks. The album was produced by Konrad Pluta and Tina Hartt.

The album gets off to a beautiful start with a fantastic rendition of “Amour, Castagnettes Et Tango,” a song that was written by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross, as “Hernando’s Hideaway,” for the musical The Pajama Game, and soon given French lyrics by Francois Llenas and Georges Bérard, and recorded by Gloria Lasso. It is a delicious tango, featuring some excellent work by Jonathan D. Lewis. And Tina Hartt’s delivery is wonderful. It is sexy, dramatic and playful. The song is sung mostly in French, but with a few lines delivered in English, and at least one in Spanish. Tina Hartt clearly knows how to get every listener under her spell with the very first track of the album. That is followed by an original composition, “Trust Your Heart.” The first lines make me smile: “Trust your heart, some say/But my head wouldn’t listen.” I love those lines, and I think we can all relate to them. This is a sweet song with a touch of melancholy. “Still the years stumbled on/Careful choices went wrong.” This one also features some really good work on strings, exploring a completely different mood from the first track. The tone and rhythm change a bit on the line, “Friends say try a little love affair,” which works well, as if for that moment she is considering the advice. But soon the mood shifts back as she dismisses the idea.

“Absence Of You,” the album’s title track, is another original composition. It has an interesting opening, with some good work on piano, and drama or tension in the strings, building toward something. “This grey day/Reflects my state of mind/Like the sun/Somehow it lost its shine/Know how it feels/I feel that way too/I’m kind of lost/In the absence of you.” Ah, but soon we learn it is mutual, for she sings, “When I clearly see/You are kind of lost/In the absence of me.” Then the song’s rhythm becomes the focus, carrying the music, like a dance. The piece then returns to the music of that opening instrumental section before moving toward a very cool lead on saxophone. I love these shifts in mood and style that seem to be a part of her approach, giving the songs the feeling of being stories, or of telling stories. Tina Hartt then delivers a cover of “Kiss Of Fire,” a song by Ángel Villoldo, which was then given English lyrics by Lester Allen and Robert Hill. Romance is thriving in this music, an exciting sort of romance that is undeniably sexy. “Since I first kissed you, my heart was yours completely/If I’m a slave, then it’s a slave I want to be/Don’t pity me, don’t pity me.” This one features accordion. And I love the work on strings as well, and the way the strings work with the accordion. But the main draw is Tina’s strong vocal performance. Toward the end, she delivers some lively scat. “Love me tonight, let the devil take tomorrow.”

“La Bohème” was written by Jacques Plante and Charles Aznavour. This one features some beautifully sad work on strings at the beginning, and another strong, passionate and moving vocal delivery. This one is, obviously, delivered in French. The music takes us into memory, making an earlier time come back in vibrant images, the violin working particularly well in that regard. The music and mood get lighter again with “J’attendrai,” also sung in French. Though there is a longing in this song, there seems to be a joy in the longing, like she is sure he’ll return to her, or at least she finds some comfort and pleasure in the waiting. You can hear that in her voice. What a beautiful performance. I also love the clarinet. The mood becomes more somber for her cover of “Ne Me Quitte Pas.” Tina Hartt delivers a stunning vocal performance. I don’t speak French, and yet was moved to tears by her performance. The longing is palpable, the sad desire. You can hear how futile it is, how doomed she is. The feeling of a dance returns for “I Can Look But I Can’t Touch,” an original composition in which she sings, “Don’t let this moment slip away/I can dream, but I can’t lie/You’d never ask, but could I follow.” Lines like these make this song a good choice to follow “Ne Me Quitte Pas.” This track features some wonderful stuff on flugelhorn.

Tina Hartt delivers a delightful rendition of “Paris S’éveille La Nuit,” a song written by Amália Rodrigues. There is something sweet and lovely about this song, and especially about her vocal performance. That’s followed by “J’ai Perdu Mon Coeur,” the final of the album’s original compositions, this one delivered in both French and English. Here is a taste of the lyrics: “I am lost, can’t you see?/J’ai perdu mon coeur/Bring my heart back to me.” There is so much passion in her delivery. It would be difficult to not fall for her, to not be drawn to her. This track features some delicious percussion, and then a nice lead on bass. This wonderful album then concludes with a cover of “La Vie En Rose,” featuring another beautiful and moving vocal performance.

CD Track List

1. Amour, Castagnettes At Tango
2. Trust Your Heart
3. Absence Of You
4. Kiss Of Fire
5. La Bohème
6. J’Attendrai
7. Ne Me Quitte Pas
8. I Can Look But I Can’t Touch
9. Paris S’éveille La Nuit
10. J’ai Perdu Mon Coeur
11. La Vie En Rose

Absence Of You was released on February 17, 2023.