Polish-born Beata Pater does not utter a word throughout the 11 songs on Fire Dance, opting instead to sing wordless vocals. It’s a bold, daring choice—and it pays off. Now based in Californian, Pater overdubs or layers her voice on every song to as many as 16 times, creating a unique sound as a sort of one-woman choir. She recruits some talented people to enhance her unique project, beginning with composer-pianist Alex Danson, who penned all 11 songs. Pater filled in the spaces with Arabian, Northern African and European music, predominately highly expressive folk songs that range from haunting to joyous. A natural soprano, Pater seems capable of moving easily down the scale all the way to bass. She frequently sings in rat-a-tat staccato, which has the feel of jazz scatting, especially as she plays with consonants as many scat-singers do. She is backed by a solid septet: soprano saxophonist Sam Newsome, tenor saxophonist Anton Schwartz, baritone saxophonist Aaron Lington, keyboardist Scott Collard, bassist Aaron Germain, drummer Alan Hall and percussionist Brian Rice. The opening “Curse Of The Locust,” an enjoyable, rhythmic tune, is our introduction to something excitingly new.”
Bob Protzman Downbeat
