October 2000

Kathy Jenkins with the Nick Levinovsky Big Band
From This Moment On
NLO Records

By Joel Siegel

Arranger-pianist Nick Levinovsky has written lively charts for this 14-track collection, especially the eight big band sides played with precision and spirit by a brassy 16-piece ensemble. But vocalist Kathy Jenkins, Levinovsky's wife, sounds ill at ease in this context. Her shrill voice, stiff time and heavy-handed emoting suggest that she's a hard-sell musical theater performer unsuccessfully attempting to reinvent herself as a jazz artist. Clearly, this album is a labor of conjugal love, but Jenkins' over-the-top caterwauling mars what might otherwise have been a rewarding big band session.