atricia Barber's Modern Cool hit like a thunderbolt when first released back in 1998. Featuring the same band as on Cafe Blue with the addition of trumpet star Dave Douglas, the 12-song set is highlighted by Barber originals like "Touch of Trash," "Company," and "Winter," to go along with her version of The Doors' "Light My Fire" and her setting of an E.E. Cummings poem. Among the many accolades received, DownBeat magazine gave the album a coveted "5 Stars" review calling it "sonically, one of the best recordings ever made by a jazz singer with a small acoustic ensemble." The response, and subsequent worldwide touring, led to Barber’s signing to Blue Note Records one year later and the New York Times proclaiming: “Barber’s art is the kind of art we need to pay attention to.”
