Acute Inflections, Someday at Christmas Reviews

New York jazz duo Acute Inflections continues their prolific pursuit of creating a groundbreaking sound with bass and voice. It is not a flash in the pan approach; it is a continued pursuit of creating songs and a discography that documents their soulful approach to popular tunes, jazz standards, and originals. The holiday season is upon us, and the duo takes their spin on the classic song of the season that offers an element of wishful peace, “Someday at Christmas.” Made famous by Stevie Wonder and written by Bryan Wells and Ron Miller, who wrote for Motown artists in the 1960s and 1970s and attained many Top 10 hits.

Bottom Line: “Someday at Christmas” begins with Sadiki Pierre bowing the opening with reverence and precision. His bowing technique is focused and offers a centered pitch that is enjoyable to hear. Vocalist Elasea Douglas has an R&B flavoring with jazz sensibilities. The two highlight the seriousness of the lyric with a somber opening. At the midway point, the two switch to a swing feel, where they rhythmically meld in a soulful approach with a critical change that continues the elevation of the tune, with each pass, Douglas reaches the next plateau with each key change. Her upper register is sparkling clear and they add an element of fun as they riff the outro for a satisfying contrast between the two sections and feels of the arrangement. Not just another rendition of this tune, the duo truly makes this their feature song for the holiday season. That’s the short of it.