Some could argue that we may have enough albums for Christmas and Hanukkah but not enough for the other special holidays. Just in time for Halloween, Hannah Gill’s Spooky Jazz Vol. 2 has a great variety of material that actually will bring a smile to one’s face year-round. A jazz singer for over a decade, Gill used some of her stimulus money during the pandemic to record a digital EP and plant the seed for the release of Spooky Jazz Vol. 2 four years later. Based in New York City, she’s assembled some stellar musicians to bring these eleven tracks to their ghostly, mysterious final arrangements. We hear Mike Davis (trumpet, trombone), Gabe Terracciano (violin), Ricky Alexander (clarinet , tenor sax), Gordon Webster (piano), Justin Poindexter (guitar), Philip Ambuel (bass) and Ben Zweig (drums).

Gill got her professional start in music right after graduating high school in Maryland and relocating to New York. Gill’s eerie repertoire draws a sweet mix of swinging classics to less-oft-heard and neglected gems. I never tired of songs like “Hard Hearted Hannah,” “That Old Black Magic,” and “Shine On Harvest Mood” when they are presented with one’s own charm, personality and charisma. Witchy Gill and her frightening sidemen clearly had a ball putting this project together. You’ve got to love the humor, sound effects and movie music quotes too.

Other standout tracks include the band’s fiery version of “I Would Rather Be Burned as a Witch,” “My Man is an Undertaker,” “Love, Your Spell is Everywhere” and “Love is a Necessary Evil.” With their bluesy feelings, “You Hurt Me” and “Haunted House Blues” also serve as showpieces for guitarist Poindexter who plays with evocative flair. A cover of Danny Elfman’s “Oogie Boogie Song” amusingly pits the unfair gamblin’ boogie man against the roly-poly Santa Claus. Well, guess who wins the heinous nefarious duel when a special batch (with a little spice) is whipped up? Hannah Gill may have a sinister, spooky side but she also demonstrates it will smooth, soulful sparkle. I look forward to a Vol. 3 this series and maybe she’ll include  a couple of my spooky favorites, “’Tain’t No Sin (to Dance Around in Your Bones)” and Bessie Smith’s “Them’s Graveyard Words“ that would work great with Hannah and her band. (Joe Ross, Roots Music Report)