By: Vince Lewis
Dida Pelled Plays and Sings
Listening to a new Jazz artist can move me and reinforce my love of jazz, but some artists leave me a little cold, like a jazz love gone bad. When Dida Pelled’s CD arrived in the mail, I plopped it into my CD player and gave it a spin. The album has a charm to it that offers up some easy on the ears vocals tied to laid back phrasing and relaxed atmospherics.
Trumpeter, Fabio Morgera, first heard the Israeli-born singer while hanging out in Manhattan. Dida’s vocals were impressive and her guitar work solid enough to motivate Morgera to introduce Dida to the legendary Roy Hargrove, where both Roy and Morgera agreed to collaborate with the singer on her debut CD project. Other artists joined in, including Tal Ronen (bass) and Gregory Hutchinson (drums).
Dida Pelled Plays and Sings is not a milestone album, but one that introduces Pelled to a broader audience in a way that is pleasing, if not compelling. She tends to follow tradition with her guitar playing, whether in tone or in her choice of chordal choice. Still, she’s searching for her own spot in the world of jazz and I expect she will only improve as she moves forward.
Pelled graduated from the Jazz Department of the Thelma Yellin High School in Tel Aviv. She then spent two years in the Israeli Army as a travelling musician. After her hitch in the Army, she was offered music scholarships at the Berklee College of Music and The New School University in New York.
Dida Pelled Plays and Sings offers up a few chestnuts such as, “Our Love Is Here To Stay,” “After You’ve Gone”, “More Than Thank You” and “Three Coins In The Fountain”. The CD gets a nod and a thumbs up from me, given its fine tonal sensibilities and locked down performances. Dida’s a bright new talented musician who’s got room to grow, as well as the time, the inclination and the talent that promises a bright future.
