Quintet: Volume 1 is a slice of modern a cappella and classic Jazz Americana. The five-voice New York based ensemble featuring, soprano, Christine Tamer, alto, Jacqueline Duryea, tenor, Stephen Gleason, baritone, Marc Silverberg, and bass, Yuki Yamaguchi, deliver five premier arrangements along with a sparkling rendition of “There Will Never Be Another You”, originally penned and recorded by vocal jazz luminaries The Real Group. The opening track, “Softly, as in a Morning Sunrise” is an appropriate fanfare that boldly introduces lead soprano Christine Tamer’s unaffected grace, soul, and precision. Deeper cuts, like the tender cover of Paul Simon’s “Still Crazy After All These Years” reveal commanding and lyrical pop-sensibilities with a clear wink-and-nod to the harmony and voice-leading style of Gene Puerling and The Singers Unlimited. “Beautiful Love” is yet another “retro-gem” from arranging savant, Kevin Urso, whose signature sound is punctuated by the hard-swinging and dizzying scat-solos riddled throughout the album. (see: “It’s All Right With Me”) The exception being the poignant, “What More Can I Say (A Tribute to Nina Simone)”, arranged by tenor Stephen Gleason, which offers a lush bounty of sound and orchestral nuances leaning more towards the sonorities of Claus Ogerman and Gustav Mahler. The entire collection is brimming with life; Quintet: Volume 1 is a new script for a classic film.