Randy Crawford and Leon Bisquera en Bâle

Subtle beauty is the way to the listener's heart in this fabulous concert by Randy Crawford and Leon Bisquera. For Crawford playing in Europe must feel like a kind of home coming. Her career took off on the continent much more than it did in her native country. The smooth-as-silk American R&B and jazz singer has serious pedigree in music circles, no matter who you ask. She cut her teeth in New York in the 90s, singing for the likes of George Benson and Cannonball Adderley and later went on to confirm her funk chops alongside Fred Wesley. Her uncredited vocals on "Street Life" stand as perhaps her most enduring contribution to the scene, having been written by the legendary Joe Sample of The Crusaders before attaining iconic status in the Quentin Tarantino-directed Jackie Brown. 

While the European scene caught wind of her talents, America was slow on the uptake and Crawford received more praise on the other side of the pond. Here, at the 2013 Baloise Session festival, she is received as the Queen she is by the Swiss crowd. The concert is directed by Leon Bisquera, the veteran keyboard maestro who forms the perfect springboard for her unique vocal tone to take flight. Amongst soul classics and a cover of "Everybody's Talkin'" by Harry Nilsson, she delivers a sparkling show. When the clapping starts, and the final track kicks in, Crawford is able to weave her magic on "Street Life," a true funk standard for the ages.