Transformation review: Glenn Close's carefully curated spoken word jazz album is a ready reckoner for change

In possibly the most transformative of times in our lives, comes feted actress Glenn Close’s carefully curated spoken word with jazz album Transformation: Personal Stories of Change, Acceptance and Evolution.

Covering a range of personal stories that talk of coping with lives in transition, the album intersperses the spoken word with eclectic jazz tunes by the Grammy-winning Ted Nash and members of Jazz at Lincoln Centre Orchestra, to create a sound book of introspection and revelation. Traversing a range of issues such as race and gender identity to humanity and relationships, the album seeks to convey many messages bound by the theme of change.  

Powerful narration by an array of notable names such as actors like Close herself, Wayne Brady and Amy Irving, Matthew Stevenson, as well as Nash’s son Eli; the heartfelt words that aim to provoke thought and convey emotions were often from the writings of famous poets such as Ted Hughes.

Philosophical more than the freewheeling nature of jazz, the album is a ready reckoner for change, and how with acceptance comes one’s healing.  

Yet when we look at it in isolation, the album is as musical as it is literary, though in the quest to strike the balance between the two, we are left yearning for more of Nash’s exquisite music. Opening with a narration (Creation Part 1) by Close and Brady, who read from Hughes’ Tales of Ovid, the album sets about to explore the whos and whys of our existence. This is then followed by Creation Part 2, a delightful orchestral piece that sets the tone for the album.    

Not every spoken word piece has a musical one in response though one of my favourite sets of performances in the album is the ‘Dear Dad’ one. In the evocative narration ‘Dear Dad/Letter,’ a young woman writes to her father about some changes in her life, including that she is now his son Eli. Nash’s brilliance shines through in his instrumental reply ‘Dear Dad/Response,’ taking us through a gamut of emotions and musical notes that seem genuine and cheerful. Starting with a medium tempo, the song builds just as the father’s acceptance and encouragement of his son does. It is exactly the kind of response one wishes they had from their parents, particularly while handling topics that require much care. The number will resonate with our friends from the LGBTQ+ community, making it a wishful pickmeupper in difficult times.

The choice of spoken word pieces is particularly interesting as the struggle with change often ends at a better place than when one started out. Case in point is Amy Irving’s reading of text by Judith Clarke in ‘One Among Many.’ Clarke is a prison parolee, who in this narration, is regretful about the harm she has caused in the past while now being grateful for the purpose her life has gained since being freed from jail. The song picks up pace through some foot-tapping drum solos and a polished brass section.

The story of emotional renaissance is decidedly loud in Brady’s rendition of his own theme about being an angry black man in the US. With clapping sounds buoying him to voice his angst and a persuasive groove that sets the rhythm, his transformation is fuelled by his forgiveness of those who have insulted him in the past, set against the backdrop of the kind of smooth jazz notes one comes to associate with single malts and cigars. Brady is superlative in his treatment of the words — showcasing persistent slight and stigma, and humouring the very circumstances that lead to it. Without sounding didactic, Brady handles it matter-of-factly while resorting to the occasional dark humour.

On paper, Matthew Stevenson’s work ‘Rising Out of Hatred’ is a necessary treatise that tackles the idea of racism from the white perspective. Based on a true story of a hardened neo-Nazi, who transforms into an all-embracing person who does not resort to colour/race/ethnicity stereotyping, this is the kind of narrative that is incredibly relevant in the world of today. We are often bombarded with news of how even in times of a pandemic, some people cannot look beyond their regressive world view. So one would imagine that ‘Rising Out of Hatred’ rises to the occasion. Yet there is an unmistakable pretentiousness to it that is hard to shake off despite Stevenson’s every effort to bring the words to life.

Nash and the Jazz At Lincoln Centre Orchestra do their best to give the album sonic relief amidst the literary gravitas and succeed in most parts. There are some beautiful moments where the jazz musicians give expression and clarity to the poignancy of the words. Despite all that, one cannot help but wish for more of their orchestral brilliance (case in point: Tony Kushner’s ‘Angels in America’). Close’s robust selection is not always consistent but there is much to be drawn from it in terms of insight.

For listeners in India, the narratives will ring rather close to home even though contexts and cultures may change. The ‘Dear Dad’ set, for instance, serves as wishful thinking for not just our LGBTQ+ friends but for children who have had to forge their own paths, oftentimes at the risk of disappointing their parents and destroying that hallowed idea of “family honour."  

Yet in endeavours such as Transformation, it is finally left to each listener to allow how much transformation they themselves are willing to undergo in the process. The album is a patchy sonic exposition that can be more than one listening depending on where you are in your life. It is not one’s idea of leisurely listening though as a chronicle of social change, it is far more effective.  

Ted Nash: composer, conductor, sop saxophone Glenn Close: curator Wayne Brady, Amy Irving, Matthew Stevenson, Eli Nash: Spoken word Wynton Marsalis: trumpet Presented by members of Jazz at Lincoln Centre Orchestra

Listen to the full album here .