Reviewed: Michael Moody

The Controversy Surrounding The Ecstasy Of Love

The release of Michael Moody’s The Ecstasy Of Love has become a flashpoint for discussions on vocal technique and melodic improvisation. The album, which spans 11 tracks and runs for just over 36 minutes, features Moody on vocals, supported by a minimalist but highly skilled duo consisting of guitarist Paul Bollenback and bassist Neal Caine. Bollenback, a veteran of the jazz scene known for his long association with organist Joey DeFrancesco, provides a sophisticated harmonic backdrop that often contrasts with Moody’s unconventional vocal delivery.

Critical reception of the album has been sharply divided. Some traditionalist critics have argued that Moody’s approach—taking the lyrics of standards by George Gershwin, Cole Porter, and Hoagy Carmichael and imposing entirely new melodic structures upon them—verges on the unrecognizable. This technique has been compared to the bebop pioneers of the 1940s, such as Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie, who famously utilized the chord changes of popular songs to create entirely new "contrafact" compositions. However, where the boppers focused on instrumental virtuosity, Moody applies this deconstructive logic to the vocal line itself.

The editorial discourse surrounding the album suggests a generational or perhaps aesthetic rift. While some listeners find Moody’s pitch and phrasing to be challenging, proponents of his work point to his use of quarter-tones and "blue notes" as a legitimate extension of the jazz tradition. The tracks "The Nearness Of You" and "Embraceable You" serve as primary examples of this tension. In these renditions, the familiar contours of the original melodies are stretched and reconfigured, a move that either signals a bold new direction for vocal jazz or a departure from the fundamental requirements of the genre, depending on the listener’s perspective.

Analytical Breakdown of Personnel and Production

The technical foundation of The Ecstasy Of Love is bolstered by the presence of Neal Caine and Paul Bollenback. Caine, whose resume includes extensive work with the Harry Connick Jr. Big Band and Diana Krall, provides a steady, grounded pulse on the double bass. This stability is essential given Moody’s fluid approach to time and melody. The choice of an independent release model for this project reflects the current state of the jazz industry, where artists frequently bypass traditional labels to maintain total creative control over their output, even when the results are intentionally polarizing.

The album’s tracklist includes:

The Nearness Of You
Embraceable You
Unforgettable
Easy To Love
Body And Soul
I’m Lost
Good Morning
Heartache
Don’t Explain
Ghost Of A Chance
You’ve Changed
I’m Gonna Lock My Heart
Old Rugged Cross

The inclusion of "Old Rugged Cross," a traditional hymn, alongside secular standards by Billie Holiday ("Don’t Explain") and Nat King Cole ("Unforgettable"), suggests an attempt to bridge various American musical traditions through a singular, idiosyncratic vocal lens.

Tina Carr and the London Independent Scene

Parallel to the discourse on Michael Moody is the emergence of Tina Carr’s Moon Over Mildmay. Recorded at the prestigious Eastcote Studios in London in February 2025, Carr’s album offers a different but equally modern perspective on the vocal jazz tradition. Unlike Moody’s minimalist trio, Carr is backed by a robust eight-piece ensemble that includes some of the most active musicians in the contemporary UK jazz scene.

The ensemble features:

Miguel Gorodi (trumpet)
Kieran McLeod (trombone)
Sam Newbould (alto saxophone)
Aanu Sodipe (violin)
Matt Robinson (piano)
Tom Ollendorf (guitar)
Oli Hayhunt (bass)
Rod Oughton (drums)

Carr’s project is characterized by its "eclectic and fascinating" selection of material. Rather than sticking strictly to the well-trodden paths of the Great American Songbook, she explores more obscure territory. This includes Billy Strayhorn’s "A Flower Is A Lovesome Thing," a composition known for its impressionistic harmonies and difficult intervals, and Tony Kinsey’s "The Ass’s Song."

Chronology of Recording and Adaptation

The timeline for Moon Over Mildmay centers on its February 2025 recording sessions at Eastcote Studios. This facility, located in Kensal Town, has a long history of hosting both mainstream pop acts and avant-garde jazz sessions, providing the technical fidelity required for Carr’s complex arrangements.

One of the album’s standout features is Carr’s willingness to adapt existing texts. On four of the eleven titles, she is credited with adapting lyrics or setting poetry to music, a practice that aligns her with the "vocalese" tradition while pushing it into more literary territory. A significant inclusion is "Make Our Garden Grow," the finale of Leonard Bernstein’s 1956 operetta Candide. The history of this song is emblematic of the album’s intellectual depth; Candide was famously a commercial failure upon its debut but underwent thirty years of revisions by Bernstein and various lyricists, including Richard Wilbur, whose original lyrics Carr utilizes.

Supporting Data: The Independent Jazz Market in 2025

The release of these two albums as "Independent" productions is indicative of broader market shifts. According to industry data from the mid-2020s, independent releases now account for over 40% of the jazz market share in terms of new titles produced. This shift is driven by the democratization of recording technology and the rise of direct-to-consumer platforms.

For artists like Michael Moody and Tina Carr, independence allows for a level of stylistic risk-taking that would likely be discouraged by major labels seeking "radio-friendly" or "dinner jazz" aesthetics. The 47-minute runtime of Moon Over Mildmay and the 36-minute runtime of The Ecstasy Of Love reflect a focus on concise, thematic statements rather than the bloated tracklists often seen in the streaming era.

Comparative Analysis of Vocal Philosophies

The contrast between Moody and Carr provides a snapshot of the two primary directions in contemporary vocal jazz. Moody represents the "deconstructionist" wing, where the voice is treated as a free-moving instrument, often untethered from traditional pitch centers. This approach demands a high degree of "ear training" from the listener and often results in a visceral reaction, as seen in the polarized critical responses.

Carr, conversely, represents the "curatorial" wing. Her work is defined by the strength of her arrangements and the diversity of her repertoire. By incorporating violin (Aanu Sodipe) and a full horn section, she creates a chamber-jazz atmosphere that supports her "quirky" vocal delivery. While she also puts her "own stamp" on the material, her approach is rooted in the expansion of the ensemble’s palette rather than the total abandonment of the original melody.

Official Responses and Broader Implications

While Michael Moody has not issued a formal rebuttal to his critics, the editorial defense of his work within jazz journals suggests a growing movement to redefine "vocal competence" in jazz. The argument posited by supporters is that jazz has always been about the "intentional" use of dissonance and quarter-tones. If a saxophonist like Ornette Coleman can be celebrated for his "harmolodic" approach to pitch, proponents argue, then a vocalist should be afforded the same creative license.

The broader implication for the jazz industry is a widening gap between "performance-based" jazz, which prioritizes technical perfection and traditional beauty, and "art-based" jazz, which prioritizes expression, subversion, and the personal "truth" of the performer.

As the jazz audience continues to age and a new generation of listeners—born in the 21st century—enters the fold, the relevance of 80-year-old songs is increasingly questioned. Artists like Carr and Moody are attempting to solve this problem by either radically recontextualizing the songs (Moody) or by treating them as part of a broader, more eclectic musical continuum (Carr).

Conclusion: The Future of the Standard

The Ecstasy Of Love and Moon Over Mildmay serve as essential case studies for the state of the genre in 2025. They demonstrate that the Great American Songbook remains a fertile ground for experimentation, even if that experimentation leads to friction between artists and critics. Whether these albums will be remembered as visionary re-imaginings or as idiosyncratic outliers remains to be seen. However, their existence ensures that the conversation regarding the "right" way to sing jazz remains as vibrant and contentious as ever.

The involvement of high-caliber musicians like Paul Bollenback and Miguel Gorodi lends these projects a level of instrumental excellence that demands they be taken seriously, regardless of one’s opinion on the vocal performances. In the end, the "ecstasy" or "quirkiness" of these works is a reflection of the artists’ commitment to a personal vision in an increasingly homogenized musical world.