Hannah Gill opens the album with “I’d Rather Be Burned As A Witch,” a song written by Betty Garret and Gerald Dolin, and recorded by Eartha Kitt for her 1959 album The Fabulous Eartha Kitt. This version by Hannah Gill begins by creating an eerie atmosphere, an unearthly wind and the sound of thunder and so on. And it is over that atmosphere that she delivers the song’s first lines: “They say that I’m a witch/And that I weave a spell.” Hannah gives a laugh after those first couple of lines, as Eartha Kitt did. The song then kicks in, and she says she’ll use her “lips to delight you.” Well, we are already delighted. We welcome her spell. And as she casts it over us, it gets us dancing and smiling. In the track’s second half, we are treated to wonderful leads on violin and piano. This track also contains some cool drumming. “And you never can tell/When I use my, my teeth to bite you.” She follows that with “My Man’s An Undertaker,” a song that Dinah Washington recorded in the early 1950s. The band is hopping here, and the horn section is particularly lively. Ricky Alexander and Mike Davis deliver some excellent stuff here. The piano is also rocking. This track is a whole lot of fun, a perfect choice to get your Halloween party cooking. “My man’s an undertaker/And he’s got a coffin just your size.”
“Love Is A Necessary Evil” is a song that Blossom Dearie recorded, including it on May I Come In, an album I still need to add to my collection. It was written by Marvin Fisher and Jack Segal. Hannah Gill does a wonderful job with it. “You want the pleasure, you’ve got to take the pain/Because love is a necessary evil.” Well, it’s all pleasure here. This track features some great stuff on bass, including a cool lead, as well as some delicious stuff on keys. That’s followed by “Hummin’ To Myself,” a song I still associate mainly with the Betty Boop cartoon. This one isn’t quite a Halloween-themed song, but the mood seems to fit quite well, and it features some really nice work on guitar and piano. “Won’t someone listen to me?” Hannah sings at one point. Absolutely! It is a joy to listen to her. I love Hannah Gill’s delivery. She is an extraordinarily talented vocalist who is able to create vivid characters with her voice, characters she seems to inhabit.
There is some striking work on violin at the beginning of “Love, Your Spell Is Everywhere (Transylvanian Lullaby)”, setting the tone, and Gabe Terracciona delivers wonderful stuff throughout the track. Again, Hannah Gill creates a strong and dynamic character with her voice, her approach tailored to each individual song. She delivers a gorgeous, haunting rendition, which then becomes a dance. I’m particularly fond of the work on clarinet. Hannah Gill then tackles a more recent number, “Oogie Boogie’s Song,” which was written by Danny Elfman for The Nightmare Before Christmas. The best thing about that movie is the music, and Hannah Gill gets totally into it, delivering an excellent rendition. Obviously, this one is largely about the character, and clearly there is something of an actor in Hannah Gill. And I love that drumming.
Hannah Gill then gets into the blues with “You Hurt Me,” which features some great stuff on guitar right from the start. But what really knocks us out in her passionate vocal performance. Yes, this one might not have quite a Halloween theme, but the vocal performance is so fantastic that it doesn’t matter. Besides, the song does mention a grave, so there’s that. “And if you don’t soon return/You’re going to drive me to my grave.” We are treated to more excellent guitar work during that lead in the middle. And then check out that delicious stuff on saxophone. Even though it’s not strictly a Halloween song, this is one of the disc’s highlights, no question. I’m a little sad when it begins to fade out. But then we get “Hard Hearted Hannah,” and of course she has fun with this one. How could it be otherwise? “Leather is tough, but Hannah’s heart is tougher/She’s a gal who loves to see men suffer/Tease ‘em, thrill ‘em, torture and kill ‘em/Is her delight, they say.” Oh yes, masochists everywhere rejoice! Here is the woman we’ve been looking for. So playful, this number, and I love that lead on keys. This track has the big finish it deserves.
Hannah Gill’s rendition of “That Old Black Magic” begins with a wonderful big band feel, like some of those classic records where the vocalist doesn’t come for a while. Here it’s approximately a minute and a half before Hannah enters. This is a bright, delightful rendition. She then returns to the blues with “Haunted House Blues,” which has a classic blues vibe. This track features another striking vocal performance. Hannah Gill is something special, no question about it. “I’m going to tell that undertaker/To fix that coffin of mine/Well, I’m scared to stay here/I’m scared to leave this town.” The album concludes with “Shine On Harvest Moon,” a song that Ruth Etting recorded in the early 1930s. This rendition establishes a seriously cool atmosphere at the start, and features wonderful stuff on guitar and clarinet while the organ maintains a somewhat eerie sound, which is great. “The night was mighty dark so you could hardly see/The moon refused to shine/Couple sitting underneath the willow tree/For love they pined.”
CD Track List
- I’d Rather Be Burned As A Witch
- My Man’s An Undertaker
- Love Is A Necessary Evil
- Hummin’ To Myself
- Love, Your Spell Is Everywhere (Transylvanian Lullaby)
- Oogie Boogie’s Song
- You Hurt Me
- Hard Hearted Hannah
- That Old Black Magic
- Haunted House Blues
- Shine On Harvest Moon
Spooky Jazz Vol. 2 was released on October 4, 2024 on Turtle Bay Records. By the way, I believe the first volume was a digital-only release. I hope there will be a physical release of that one too.
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