The new CD from Valarie King is ‘Only Time Will Tell’ and follows closely on the heels of her Grammy nominated debut release, ‘Today, Tomorrow and Forever’. This classically trained jazz flautist is a graduate of USC and has recorded with Madonna, Nina Simone, Whitney Houston, George Benson, Natalie Cole and Grover Washington Jr. She is indeed a big talent and happy to buck the trend that has made it difficult for flautists to find their way to the metaphoric hall of contemporary jazz fame. Talking of her early career she recalls, “I grew tired of hearing that flute was not an instrument of mainstream interest. I always felt that if handled in a popular fashion it would be successful”. This is the formula that she has perfected with ‘Only Time Will Tell’, a combination of reenergized vintage hits from the 70’s, fresh new music and guest appearances by Hubert Laws, Patrice Rushen and Jeff Clayton.
There is ample evidence around that, of all jazz instruments, the flute is perhaps best suited to mellow and reflective melody. On ‘Only Time Will Tell’ Valarie includes a number of tunes from that part of the musical spectrum with ‘Into Your Eyes’, ‘Traveler’ and the title track all checking the right boxes. In addition King proves that she can improvise around that mellow theme. She weaves a Gaelic twist into the gentle ‘Da Chara’ and on the equally tranquil Stevie Wonder ballad ‘Knocks Me Off My Feet’ she treats the listener to her own delicious vocals.
Greg Por e writes four tracks and on two of them, ‘City Lights’ and ‘Willow’, his guitar interplay with King’s flute is exceptional. In fact collaborations abound. King’s production savvy places the wonderful keyboards of Patrice Rushen at the center of the smoky ‘Night Crawlers’ and just as good is Rushen’s rippling piano solo on the jazzy ‘Kingfisher’. The up tempo ‘Hot Slice’, where King shows that the flute can indeed be funky, features an alto sax solo from Jeff Clayton and she stays in that mode for a cover of the 1967 hit by Soulful Strings ‘Burning Spear’. It’s an interesting choice that hits its stride early, stays there, and is every bit as groove driven as the illustrious original.
When King finds time to fit in a vocal cover of Natalie Coles ‘La Costa’ she holds the tune at a smouldering arms length before allowing the arrangement to erupt into a rapid fire samba groove yet, for a number of reasons, the best track on the album is the Greg Cook composition ‘Long Shadows on the Afternoon’. This 9 minute 25 second odyssey flows evocatively but, when Cook’s keyboards get to work, evolves into something altogether earthier.
When someone with the jazz flute stature of Hubert Laws says that he “has witnessed King progress over the years and has come to respect and admire her artistry” then it is surely time to sit up and take notice. With ‘Only Time Will Tell’ Valarie King is inviting those who appreciate sophisticated contemporary jazz to do just that.
For more on Valarie King go to www.valarieking.com