I thought it was cool when Dawn Clement ended her first CD by playing AND singing Tom Waits Midnight Lullaby, her only vocal. On piano, she has a fluidity and tone akin to Vince Guaraldi but more percussive (on Break, check out Distant Oasis) and with flashes of the approaching things from odd angles you get with a Herbie Nichols or Monk (on a breakneck Sweet and Lovely).
The roots in Monk on Break aren't as evident at the keyboard, however, as in her singing, which she does on more than one number in this outing, including positively Monkian versions of All of Me and Dream a Little Dream of Me. She may not be a great singer in the Ella Fitzgerald sense, but then neither was Billie Holiday nor is Jolie Holland (whom I like a lot) today. Nonetheless, they sure can use what they've got effectively to get the point across. Ditto Dawn Clement, with the added attraction of being able to play jazz piano on the level of just about anybody on the scene now. Matt Wilson on drums and Dean Johnson on bass are great teammates for her. That Wilson's sticks never overwhelm points to the power in Clement's playing.
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