Carol Heffler performs with all the grace and professionalism of a seasoned pro. Listen for yourself on her latest CD "exactly", featuring a great band and really cool arrangements."
Gary Mazzaroppi, bassist for Marian McPartland
Possessed of a transparently warm soprano voice which dips into contralto depths when necessary, Carol Heffler's delivery is akin to a sweet melodic breeze. Three of the songs are entirely her own, and in "Same Old Used-to-Be", reminiscent of "That Old Devil Called Love", I can easily imagine Billie being attracted to its overall contour...As for Dave Frishberg's "You Are There", when Carol sits alone at the piano, she gives an absolutely ravishing performance."
Alan Bargebuhr, Cadence Magazine
"Carol's tone is cool and laid back, with the emotions felt just beneath the surface...Ms. Heffler is particularly expressive on ballads, including "My Foolish Heart" and Dave Frishberg's "You Are There."
Scott Yanow, LA Jazz Scene
"Carol Heffler is a pro. She's a jazz singer with a song in her heart. Her writing is well termed, concise. And her phrasing will remind one of a well tempered June Christy."
Dick Crockett, KXJZ, Sacramento, CA
Cadence
A Review of Jazz & Blues: Creative Improvised Music
Vol. 31 No. 8 - August 2005
CAROL HEFFLER, EXACTLY, PEEKA 121
Exactly Like You / My Foolish Heart/ Pull of the Moon / Same Old Used-to-Be / Lullaby of Birdland / Bittersweet / Mahina / Willow Weep for Me / You Are There. 37.12
Heffler, vcl, p; John Bianculli, p; Steve Varner, b; Dave Mohn, d; Angelo DiBraccio, ss, ts; Chuggy Carter, perc. No recording date(s) specified, Spring House, PA.
Possessed of a transparently warm soprano voice which dips into contralto depths when necessary, Carol Heffler’s delivery is akin to a sweet melodic breeze. Her “Foolish Heart” carries an air of newly discovered passion’s primordial innocence, interspersed with matching statements from Bianculli’s piano and DiBraccio’s tenor. When she returns to wrap up and take the song out, there’s a detectable increase in fervor, as it experience has just begun to take the bloom off that innocence.
Three of the songs (“Pull/Used-to-Be/Bittersweet”) are entirely her own, and a fourth, a Bossa of sorts, (“Mahina”), carries her lyrics to music by Marilyn Harris. They all show distinctive song writing skills, with lines such as “I feel the pull of the moon when you’re near to me/Your gentle smile is the pull of gravity” which verges on a sort of ironic brilliance. “Used-to-Be” is reminiscent of “That Old Devil Called Love,” and I can easily imagine Billie being attracted to its overall contour as the singer enjoins the Devil to “Release your hold and let me breathe/You’re not welcome here/so get away from me/You can’t keep me down/I’m alive and free/No more same old used-to-be,” after which DiBraccio’s tenor essays a Prezian role to up the ante. Carol’s vocal on the song is redolent of Billie, in the softly turned down corners of her phrases and the underlying weariness with which she confronts her anguish. “Bittersweet” has a folkish flavor, suggesting that Heffler has listened, at some point, to Judy Collins, and that her musical interests are not necessarily confined to jazz.
Throughout the program, the basic rhythm trio is subtle and supportive, with Bianculli demonstrating a particularly attractive melodicism. On the final track, which Carol dedicates to her late father, she sits alone at the piano, using MacDowell’s “To a Wild Rose” instrumentally, to introduce her vocal on Dave Frishberg’s “You Are There”. It’s an absolutely ravishing performance.
At less than an average LP’s playing time, theis is a relatively brief recital, but one in which quality tips the scales very favorably.
Alan Bargebuhr
