Love's Refrain

“Maud seems to have taken the Cole Porter line in the song ‘Now You Has Jazz’ to heart, as she has found ‘a spot, cool and hot’ from which to present her musical persona: The cool, even phrasing and temperament of the post-modern movement meets the subtle yet insistent swing of the original stylists of the 20s, 30s and 40s. ‘Cool and Hot’ indeed.” – Arne Fogel

In a relatively short time, vocalist Maud Hixson has become one of the Twin Cities’ most popular songbirds. From her long-running duo with Arne Fogel to her frequent appearances at area swing dance venues, Maud has attracted a wide following, appealing to anyone who enjoys hearing—and feeling—the lyrics of the great American songwriters. Finally Maud has recorded Love's Refrain, a full-length CD of favorite and newly discovered tunes in the intimate context of voice and piano. With only Maud and husband/pianist Rick Carlson, this CD allows listeners to focus on the melody, the lyric, and the gentle interaction of the two musicians.

All About Maud and Rick

Maud Hixson©Andrea Canter

Maud’s partner in life and on Love’s Refrain, Rick Carlson taught himself to play the piano by listening to the canons of Count Basie and Duke Ellington. In addition to his role with the Wolverines, Rick has opened for Rosemary Clooney; has recorded and/or played with Charmin Michelle, Sue Tucker, Christine Rosholt, Arne Fogel, and, of course, Maud. Recent projects have included holding the keyboard duties for two Twin Cities Jazz Society “Jazz From J to Z” concerts—“My Shining Hour” (tribute to Harold Arlen) starring Christine Rosholt, and his “Keepers of the Basie Flame” revue featuring seven of the area’s top vocalists.

Rick Carlson©Andrea Canter

Maud’s previous recordings include the demo Small Batch and the duo recording with Arne Fogel, Let’s Not Be Sensible. Love’s Refrain is her first full-length solo release. And it was a couple of ardent fans who prompted the CD project. Notes Maud, “For my first time in the studio, in 2004, I sang for a couple of hours with Rick. Some of what we recorded that day became my demo, Small Batch. We were so excited about it and released it instantly, forgetting to put my name on the cover, but people really liked it, and kept asking for more of the same. Last year, a couple of fans [Bob and Pat Mall] approached us, wanting to produce this CD, specifically asking for ‘another Small Batch.’ It was also the perfect follow-up to my experience at the 2006 Cabaret Conference at Yale.”

For some couples, collaborating on a duo recording might prove risky. But Maud explains that “being married made the challenges easier to negotiate on this new project. We talk about music a lot, and it's a luxury to be able to ask questions as they pop into your head, muse at length, and put all your silly ideas out there. Plus, we already trusted and understood each other's ears, perspective, and taste. We also managed to stay out of it when we had our individual struggles to find our way in the studio.”

Love’s Refrain

The new recording is a perfect reflection of Maud Hixson—filled with beautiful melodies and enticing lyrics, yet generally avoiding the blockbusters of the Great American Songbook in favor of equally classic but less-often-sung gems from some of the most admired songwriters of the 20th century. She covers Rodgers and Hart, Bob Dorough, Bing Crosby, Harold Arlen, Van Heusen and Burke, Kern and Fields, Strayhorn and Bernstein, and of course Hoagy Carmichael’s “Stardust,” which provides the snippet of lyric for the title. Each track is a straightforward, gentle swing that pulls the listener inside a warm embrace created by Maud and Rick; it’s a set of ten private moments expanded ever so slightly by our presence.

Of her song choices, Maud notes that these “were mostly new discoveries for me, and taken as a whole, they all seemed to fit under the umbrella of the term ‘love's refrain,’ which I found at the end of the lyric to ‘Star Dust.’ As we began to record, I noticed a common theme of ‘time’ running through most of the lyrics as well.”

A quick note about the liner notes. These are exceptional as an introduction to the music of the great American songwriters of Tin Pan Alley and beyond, giving context to Maud’s selections. It was a stroke of genius to invite Philip Furia (formerly on the University of Minnesota faculty) to contribute his lessons in music history, something he has much experience in doing as author of The Poets of Tin Pan Alley and biographies of Irving Berlin, Ira Gershwin and Johnny Mercer.

Without a note of pretension, Maud’s voice on Love’s Refrain is pleasing and airy; she’s a gentle balladeer. These songs are all crafted as slow ballads, mostly in a serious vein, often about love lost or derailed or simply out of reach with the more upbeat stories bookending the more melancholy and wistful. These are beautiful melodies and engaging lyrics, although one might wish for an occasional up-tempo track. Yet as Furia explains in his liner notes, Maud here is more about inhabiting the song, “becoming the character the lyric portrays,” rather than using the songs as vehicles to showcase the voice. The recording could easily be titled “Maud’s Restraint” as it is her understatement that seduces.

From the first verse of Rodgers and Hart’s “With a Song In My Heart,” Maud engages the listener in an intimate conversation. (As Furia quotes Ira Gershwin, these are “everyday conversations that happen to rhyme.”) Stretching the last syllables of the line and emphasizing such key words as “adorable” and “rejoice,” Maud underlines the centrality of lyric while Rick’s luscious comping and the very slow tempo make this the ultimate seduction, not among strangers but among familiar lovers who know well every nuance. Next comes Bob Dorough’s “There’s Never Been a Day,” which has even more of a spoken quality, barely sung but nearly whispered. When she voices “I Love You,” it’s as if simply stated to someone sitting close by. Although one might sense that no mic was used, this seems unlikely given modern recording studios. Rick takes a solo stroll here, conjuring an accompanying bass with his left hand and spinning gold with his right, but never overpowering the melody or straying from it.

The Young/Crosby/Washington “Ghost of a Chance” is a plaintive ballad, lovely in its simplicity. A more unusual choice, “Meet Me At No Special Place” will be familiar to fans of Mose Allison, who often includes this tune in his live sets. Yet the renditions couldn’t be more different, Maud again taking things at a slow pace, without the sarcastic bite that defines Mose. Maud’s delivery is too sweet to convey much sass, giving the story a cloak of resignation that things will not work out, of walking away, while with Mose, there is a sense of retaliation. This track provides a rhythmic romp for Rick, who gives it just enough sinister shading to keep the story above the line of self defeat. A similar story unfolds in “Bad for Each Other” (Arlen and Leigh). These are great lyrics, and Maud makes sure you hear and appreciate each word, each rhyme. Here Rick uses a few dissonant chord changes to add some interesting harmonies, as well as making good use of silent spaces beneath Maud’s lines.

It’s Maud’s hesitations in her phrasing and Rick’s dark comping that give new life to the Van Heusen/Burke classic, “Here’s That Rainy Day.” She projects so gently, especially on the high notes, that you sense she is just talking to you, albeit with melodic projection. A brighter story emerges on Kern and Field’s “Remind Me,” particularly with a bit more lilt in the final chorus. Another would-be-overdone classic, “Star Dust” engages the listener as Maud forces your attention to the lyric rather than the familiar tune, although one can’t help but also notice the elegant touch of Rick Carlson on the keys. Similarly she turns the familiar melody of “Lotus Blossom” into a celebration of the storyline, her voice shrouded, as per the lyric, in “Autumn’s blue smoke.” Ending the set on a high note with Bernstein’s “Lucky to Be Me,” Maud again takes it a slow tempo but with a bright, if low-key joy, which emanates from the piano as well. As the last note dissipates, you can’t help but feel that you have spent the last 40 minutes eavesdropping on an intimate conversation between confidantes, where nuance replaces explicit statement. The power of this music is derived from the quiet delivery of words in melodic wrapping. Enjoy it with someone you love.

CD ordering information is available at www.maudhixson.com