Jazz Vocals - CD Reviews (1352)
On her new Jazz CD, "Here's To Love," vocalist Carol Nielsson draws from a career in musical theater to add a fresh, yet comfortable spin on old favorites. She recalls the innocent delivery of Doris Day, her voice both sweet and nuanced. She honors the songs by singing them the way they were written,…
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Visual artist, pianist, vocalist, and composer Meredith d'Ambrosio has quietly been releasing critically acclaimed recordings since 1978. Never one to push recordings on her fans, By Myself is her first release since 2006. This new 2011 recording features, exclusively, the songs of Arthur Schwartz and Howard Dietz and is framed…
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Vocalist Rene Marie's seventh CD as a leader, Voice Of My Beautiful Country, borrows heavily from Americana as well as, what appears on almost every jazz vocalist's recording recently, a number of standards drawn from the wider rock world. The best part of the recording is how Marie proves there…
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It has to have been difficult for Lorraine Feather. Her father, Leonard Feather, was the man who not only singlehandedly defined the role of the modern jazz critic, but was also arguably the greatest jazz journalist ever. That's a huge shadow to grow up under, especially if the daughter has…
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I've been listening to Sir Paul McCartney's newest CD Kisses on the Bottom for a number of hours on repeat. I have to say this at the outset ... It truly is an outstanding piece of music. The songs are well chosen, heartfelt and beautiful to listen to. They conjure…
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When Diane Schuur burst on the national scene in 1985 with the release of her Deedles recording on GRP, the world was treated to an exceptional vocalist who had strengths in jazz and jazz-pop crossover. Her string of hit records was aided by not just topnotch production and producing via…
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Vocalist and composer Michael Franks has had a long career of which anyone would be envious. Since his launching pad hit “Popsicle Toes,” Franks has consistently released strong jazz oriented recordings featuring the best jazz musicians in both backing and featured roles. Like Kenny Rankin, Franks found a unique way…
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After 75 Years is an ambitious work. Macy Chen has created a concept album of sorts about the parallel lives of herself and her grandfather. Both Chen and her grandfather, Chin-Chang Liu, had left their homes in Taiwan to pursue jazz music, against the practical wisdom of their friends and…
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Zaz is the impressive debut album by the French jazz-pop artist of the same name. Zaz takes a fresh and open-minded approach to her music. Gypsy jazz rhythms, pop hooks and Mills Brothers-esque vocal solos collide in a cohesive and fully realized musical vision. The blend of styles never seems…
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Aficionados and neophytes alike should feel equally welcome when listening to Jazz, the accessible history lesson produced by Putamayo. Although this 12-song compilation presents an audio array that reaches as high as Blossom Dearie's top-shelf timbre on "They Say It's Spring," to the joint-jumping horns on Maxine Sullivan's " 'Taint…
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Colin Hunter is a Toronto-based vocalist who sings as a passionate hobby. He sings the standards from that period of time when jazz was the popular music of the day. His style of singing is a classic mix of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Tony Bennett and Perry Como.
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Musicians: Watch what you say, for your words can have lasting consequences. Consider Cilla Owens, for instance.
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For her Vanguard Records debut, Diane Schuur does something she's never done. She performs 10 country tunes. The Gathering, her first album in three years, is a bold move that pays off.
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Judy Wexler looms large in the relatively small world of jazz vocalists, and this recording, Under a Painted Sky, will certainly attest to that. Wexler is accompanied by some of the most talented musicians in the jazz idiom, a perfect assemblage of formidable artists to complete this musical tableau.On "And…
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I must confess, I have never heard of Cinzia Spata. While I have been broadening my horizons with respect to international talent lately, and Italy has been a source of some fine musicians, vocalists, jazz vocalists have not been a major find. Until now that is! Cinzia Spata's voice is…
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Jane Stuart, a New Jersey vocalist, has released her second CD Don't Look Back on JSM records. This multi-talented performer has been singing for a long time, since the age of five. The maturity of her instrument is evidenced by her skilled phrasing and overall command of the genre of…
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This CD, Dream On, by New Hampshire-based Kathleen Kolman, was one of those incredible surprises that one stumbles on every now and then. Until you listen, one cannot appreciate the rich, deep tonality of Kolman's voice. Not only am I surprised at the beauty of this unique voice, I am…
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“Tight rhythm section, exquisite solo work that enhances my singing, not overpowering it… There is a strong unity of the musicians, the vocals and the arrangements. Dynamic!” quotes Ms. Stuart, thinking back to her studio memories on Don’t Look Back. Since her debut with Beginning to See the Light, Ms.…
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A young Italian vocalist from Naples with a persuasive sway describes music this way, “Music could perhaps be called the most truly human form of dialogue among people.” The assured artist is Eugenia Munari and her passion… jazz. Ms. Munari’s tone of voice can be diversely described numerous ways, but…
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Jo Thompson shows she’s only getting better with age on Forever Fabulous. The octogenarian is in fine form leading the J.C. Heard Orchestra, under musical director Walt Szymanski, through 15 jazz and blues jewels. The singer-pianist sets the tone for the album by leading off with a strong, high-energy version…
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