Liner Notes by Deborah J. Carter A Touch of Cinema and Jazz

“After knowing Simone Honijk for a couple of decades, as well as following her music, I can say with confidence that she is an ‘illuminant’. The definition of this lovely word, in her case, is ‘someone shining light on an object’. The reason that I use this term for Simone is that every album she has recorded had a repertoire where she brought to light iconic musicians’compositions deserving more attention. This album, whose title is inspired by a phrase from the first track, “Cinnamon and Clove”, is a tribute to Johnny Mandel. When Mandel passed away in 2020, most obituaries praised him for his award-winning
movie and TV soundtracks. Simone has chosen 11 of his songs meant to be sung and enjoyed by singers. Though there are a couple of songs that are well known, Simone has intentionally
shed light on some beautiful Mandel gems that should join the ranks of the best-loved standards. Hats off, as well, to bassist Thomas Winther Andersen, for his creative contribution in arranging a few of the songs. Listeners’ ears may be titillated with his modern jazz-fusion version of “The Shadow of Your Smile - which has come a long way since
its appearance in “Sandpiper” in 1965 . I especially like his tastefully spartan version of “You Are There” with a beautiful interplay of trumpet, clarinet, and drums. And “Close Enough for Love”, one of the first Mandel vocal standards in Simone’s ears - also a favourite of Tony Bennett - is a song I can never get enough of either. As always, Simone Honijk, has worked on this project wholeheartedly: choosing each instrumentalist for their
own individual sound, while searching and finding hidden pearls to spotlight. She’s done it again and Mandel would be pleased!”
Deborah J. Carter