Fairytales, 1986

I'm not accustomed to offering up vocal recordings but this one is special.

More than 20 years ago a buddy of mine and I made a pilgrimage to the Cadence Barn in Redwood, NY. We had to call ahead to get authorization and directions. They allowed us to come after checking that we were subscribers. A small price to pay for what we were to encounter. But I digress...

One of the recordings they recommended to us was Radka Toneff and Steve Dobrogosz's Fairytales and naturally I took up their decision. This is a wonderful no frills recording that is stripped down to one voice and one piano. I first heard Steve Dobrogosz on Arild Andersen's Lifelines album and, frankly, in my opinion, stole the show.

This album is especially poignant when you consider the fact that Radka Toneff committed suicide. You can hear the vulnerability in her voice. Give it a listen. I think it favourably compares to the Tony Bennett / Bill Evans record.