Eva Cassidy (1963 - 1996) didn’t write many songs herself. But the American singer had an excellent nose for good songs, that she treated and interpreted in her own way. She changed the melody of Over the Rainbow, her best-known cover, so that it surpassed the original version.
A Tribute to Eva Cassidy is therefore in the first place a tribute to beautiful, sometimes forgotten songs. For Eva the lyrics of a song were as important as its music. If you want to know who Eva Cassidy was, you should study the texts that she sang.
Because Cassidy was such a versatile singer, from tranquil songs, jazz, soul till exuberant rhythm and blues, it is interesting to think about how this talented singer would have developed if she had stayed alive. Her brother Dan thinks she might have played and sang acoustic music with guitar, double bass and violin. That is exactly the cast that Margriet Sjoerdsma has chosen.
At their try-out performance at North Sea Jazz they didn’t play solid pieces like Take Me To The River or Wayfaring Stranger, but ballads Fields of Gold, People Get Ready and a very special arrangement of It Doesn’t Matter Anymore. The most surprising song that the band played at Ahoy Rotterdam was a fast country-version of I Wish I Was A Single Girl Again in which Dan Cassidy proved his virtuosity on the four violin strings. Eva Cassidy used to change ‘boy’ and ‘man ‘ into ‘girl’ but the boys in Margriet’s band sang without any embarrassment the lyrics about the ‘single girl.’ Unfortunately this up tempo song didn’t make it on the cd. But I Wish I Was A Single Girl Again can be found in of Radio 6’s archives. The moment that Sjoerdsma comes closest to Eva’s impressive vocal belting is in the relatively unknown San Francisco Bay Blues. In this acoustic cast the quality of accompanists guitarist Arie Storm and bassist Cord Heineking has full play.
Dan Cassidy lives alternately in Iceland and Great-Britain where he forms a duo with folksinger and guitarist James Hickman. The violinist has refused to benefit from the posthumous success of his diseased sister. But he is happy that Eva’s music has been recognized in the Netherlands: ‘This project gives me the chance to play on the continent of Europe for an attentively listening audience and that is a good thing.’ Sjoerdsma, Storm and Heineking recorded the album together; Cassidy added his violin parts in Iceland.
The Dutch press wrote:
‘Sjoerdsma honours Eva Cassidy beautifully...’
‘Sjoerdsma is extravert, charming and a little naughty’ Stentor..'
‘Sjoerdsma is of world class level, her Eva Cassidy Tribute is of a level that resembles Eva Cassidy herself...'
‘A more than worthy tribute’
‘Like a reborn Casssidy, Sjoerdsma sings Eva’s songs with a humble heart but with great confidence, while Dan Cassidy plays beautifully on his violin’
Album: Margriet Sjoerdsma - A Tribute To Eva Cassidy
Label: STS Analog - STS6111197
Country: Netherlands
Released: 2020
Genre: Jazz, Blues, Folk, World, & Country
Tracklist:
A1 In The Early Morning Rain
Written-By – Gordon Lightfoot
A2 Fields Of Gold
Written-By – Sting
A3 Wade In The Water
Written-By – Traditional
A4 People Get Ready
Written-By – Curtis Mayfield
B1 San Francisco Bay Blues
Written-By – Jesse Fuller
B2 Penny To My Name
Written-By – Roger Henderson
B3 Time After Time
Written-By – Cyndi Lauper, Robert Irving III
B4 It Doesn't Matter Anymore
Written-By – Paul Anka
Margriet Sjoerdsma: Vocals
Dan Cassidy: Violin Side A: on tracks 1.2.and 3 Side B: On tracks 2 and 4
Arie Storm: Guitars and Dobro, Backing Vocals
Cord Heineking: Double Bass, Backing Vocals
Produced by: Margriet Sjoerdsma
Recorded and Mixed by: Micha de Kanter
Remastered and MW Coding by: Fritz de With
Vinyl LP Record and Master Tape Copy Released Under STS Analog Label.
LP Version - 45RPM Audiophile Edition
Note that there is another version of this reissue from the same year and label with slightly different tracklist (B3 is "Won't Be Long" instead of "Time After Time") and a barcode on the rear sleeve.
Margriet Sjoerdsma - A Tribute to Eva Cassidy - Audiophile Recordings
