The Ruby & the Pearl
Dominique Eade The Ruby & the Pearl Accurate Records 1991
Best Jazz Recordings 1991 Cadence Magazine
”Eade is as promising a jazz singer, and will likely get better and better as she ventures in and out of love songs into her own personalized domain." AllMusic
In the late 1980s, two patrons of the arts visiting from Houston heard Eade performing at a hotel lounge in Boston. They offered to invest in a recording project, affording Eade the opportunity to make her first CD as a leader. The Ruby & the Pearl, released on Accurate Records, features some of Eade's favorite songs at the time, from Johnny Mercer to Joe Henderson, as well as five Eade originals. For the group, Eade chose legendary drummer Alan Dawson, who was a member of many of Eade's bands in the 1980's; pianist Stanley Cowell, who was a faculty colleague and a mentor during Eade's Artist Diploma studies at NEC, and bassist John Lockwood, a longtime playing companion. Eade's husband, saxophonist Allan Chase, is a special guest on four selections.
Released 1990
Ruby And The Pearl (Livingston, Evans) 7:58
If I Were A Bell (Loesser) 5:50
In Return (Eade) 5:44
I Think It's Time To Say Goodbye, Again (Cowell, Randolph) 6:10
Maristella (Eade) 4:53
Inner Urge (Henderson) 5:00
Worlds Apart (Eade) 5:36
Portrait Of You (Eade) 7:59
Blood Count (Strayhorn) 3:31
New Waltz (Eade) 2:15
Crazeology (Harris) 4:48
Out Of This World (Arlen, Mercer) 7:38
Dominique Eade vocals
Stanley Cowell piano
John Lockwood bass
Alan Dawson drums
Allan Chase alto and soprano saxophones (tracks: 1, 5, 8, 11)
Recorded June 20 & 21, 1990 at Blue Jay, Carlisle, MA. Produced by Dominique Eade. Executive Producers: Michael Caddell and Tracey Conwell. Mixed at Blue Jay and the Carriage House, Stamford, CT. Recording and Mixing Engineer: Mark Tanzer. Digital mastering and editing: Toby Mountain, Northeastern Digital Recordings, Inc. Southborough, MA. Eade’s portrait photos: Phoebe Ferguson. Band photos: Jennifer Karpin. Graphic Design: Eric Pfeiffer.
“You feel the intensity right from the beginning. She sings as if she’s discovering the songs’ delights for the first time, and reveling in their possibilities without exhausting them. It’s surprising that she’s even a relative unknown.” New York Newsday
“Eade’s diction, intonation and timing —on everything from original ballads to up-tempo pieces, are right on the money, making The Ruby and the Pearl one of the most enchanting, tradition-keeping and –extending jazz vocal debuts of recent years. –Hot House.
“Out in the Stars” from Resistance, and “New Waltz” from Ruby and the Pearl are small marvels of thematic and harmonic sophistication. After just two albums, a case can be made for Dominique Eade being the best jazz singer anyone’s hardly heard of.” –FI Magazine
