14 Aug
Come Away With Me by Norah Jones
Wednesday, 14 August 2002
Published in
Jazz Vocals - CD Reviews
For fans of the late Peggy Lee, Norah Jones will be a most welcome newcomer with her CD debut collection titled COME AWAY WITH ME. Norah Jones has a sensual bluesey voice t…
12 Aug
Ill Remember Paris by Sony Holland
Monday, 12 August 2002
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Jazz Vocals - CD Reviews
When you have a recording with superb lyrics, great melodies and a vocalist whose phrasing and tone match the sophisticated hipness and intent of the writer, you have a spe…
From the black-and-white cover photo to the carefully chosen songs, Signe Hensel’s debut CD shimmers with nostalgia."Invitation" is an impressive introduction to the new…
Teenager Renee Olstead has appeared in several feature films, acting opposite Russell Crowe, Arnold Schwarzenegger and John Cleese. She currently appears on the CBS comedy …
09 Aug
Shadow of Your Smile by Kim Liggett
Friday, 09 August 2002
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Jazz Vocals - CD Reviews
Kansas City-based Kim Liggett, who made her first stage appearance at 6, is an all-around performer.At 16, she went to New York, trying her hand at singing, dancing and …
07 Aug
Let Me Be Frank by Gaile Gillaspie
Wednesday, 07 August 2002
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Jazz Vocals - CD Reviews
There have been a number of albums through the years based on the music of Frank Sinatra, the most recent one being Gaile Gillaspie's Let Me Be Frank. Conceptually, …
07 Aug
I've Got a Right To Sing The Blues - The Songs Of Harold Arlen by Sir Roland Hanna and Carrie Smith
Wednesday, 07 August 2002
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Jazz Vocals - CD Reviews
This is a classic tribute album. Setting out as a celebration of songwriter Harold Arlen, it became the final recorded performance of Sir Rolland Hanna. The venerable piani…
28 Jul
When Lights Are Low by Lisa Kirchner
Sunday, 28 July 2002
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Jazz Vocals - CD Reviews
It's been two long years since Lisa Kirchner's first CD arrived on this desk. Now there's another release from the Manhattan chanteuse and it's a keeper. Not unlike …
Although the history of jazz is reflective of all the legendary figures we have come to know musically, the future of America's music as we know it today is in the here and…
25 Jul
Aint Love A Kick: The Unforgettable Songs of Sammy Cahn by Frank Lamphere
Thursday, 25 July 2002
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Jazz Vocals - CD Reviews
Frank Lamphere has a versatile voice that handles jazz ballads in a memorable manner, each song uniquely and originally styled by his mellow voice. Jazz fans should soon di…
Hazel Walker is a relative newcomer to the Canadian jazz scene. Born in Halifax, she first performed as a youngster on local radio. Now residing in Toronto, Walker enjoys a…
20 Jul
A Wonderful World by Tony Bennett & k.d. lang
Saturday, 20 July 2002
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Jazz Vocals - CD Reviews
One of the best concerts I saw in my four-year stay in New York City (1998-2002) was Tony Bennett and k.d. lang at Radio City Music Hall. As certain as you can be of a rain…
Wait For Me is the debut CD of young Alicia Renee.The 19-year-old from Minneapolis shows a flair for a variety of musical styles, including jazz, cabaret and pop. She wr…
Scotland’s Cathie Rae delivers an engaging debut CD entitled "Time Out."With help from her talented family, the vocalist offers a solid set of 10 songs that serve as a f…
Please allow me to introduce you to a new lady jazz singer, a woman who has a gift for sharing the feel of a lyric and melody with a listening audience, and a woman whose v…
16 Jul
Steppin Out by Banu Gibson & Bucky Pizzarelli
Tuesday, 16 July 2002
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Jazz Vocals - CD Reviews
Banu Gibson is one of the brightest lights in contemporay jazz vocals, and each time she records a CD collection, the jazz listening audience can expect topnotch performanc…
14 Jul
Little Red Robin by Mary Ellen Spann
Sunday, 14 July 2002
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Jazz Vocals - CD Reviews
Little Red Robin is the third CD by Mary Ellen Spann, a Dallas-based singer and songwriter.The recording brings together 10 songs from the past and Spann’s original "Gue…
06 Jul
Playing Favorites by Cathi Walkup
Saturday, 06 July 2002
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Jazz Vocals - CD Reviews
Cathi Walkup casts an enchanting spell with her new live CD, "Playing Favorites."With a low and easy delivery and an inspired set of songs - some familiar and others fro…
03 Jul
The Definitive Dinah Washington by Dinah Washington
Wednesday, 03 July 2002
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Jazz Vocals - CD Reviews
Dinah Washington sang like no one else.Her high-pitched voice and sharp, clipped phrasing earned her both fans and detractors. It was a piercing sound, instantly recogni…
02 Jul
Piano Jazz by Marian McPartland / Carmen McRae
Tuesday, 02 July 2002
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Jazz Vocals - CD Reviews
A memorable outing with pianist Marian McPartland and vocalist Carmen McRae make PIANO JAZZ an enjoyable collection for the anytime, anywhere & anyplace. This 23 selection …
Internationally acclaimed singer, performer and writer Barb Jungr grew up in Rochdale and Stockport in the northwest of England in a European house...
On her first live concert recording, Diana Krall sounds more relaxed and confident than ever. "Live in Paris" comes after a string of wildly successful studio albums and…
29 Jun
That Which Speaks Of Love by Camilla Sanders
Saturday, 29 June 2002
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Jazz Vocals - CD Reviews
It was my pleasure to review a demo CD by this artist a couple of years ago. Camilla Sanders has now issued us a copy of her new release, That Which Speaks Of Love
Mysteries in jazz come in all different shapes and sizes. There’s the outright ornery deflection of Cecil Taylor’s stage presence, distracting attention from his essential …
25 Jun
Sometimes Im Happy by Deanna Storey
Tuesday, 25 June 2002
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Jazz Vocals - CD Reviews
This CD is a collection of torch songs and jazz standards played with deceptive competence by singer Deanna Storey and a four-piece backing group. The arrangements are most…
Betty Buckley fans will appreciate her latest CD collection, and for those who have not heard her dramatic, sensitive singing style, this is a great way to have a pleasant …
18 Jun
Under My Hat by Patty Carpenter & Melissa Shetler
Tuesday, 18 June 2002
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Jazz Vocals - CD Reviews
UNDER MY HAT is a highly likeable jazz entry, the vocals subtle and sultry, the music like sipping a nice glass full of Scotch, and the atmosphere filled to the brim with l…
SATIN DREAMS brings to the jazz listening audience some fine vocals from Canadian-based jazz vocalist Armi Grano. She is in top form with this collection, and her vocal sty…
13 Jun
My Favorite Record by Asylum Street Spankers
Thursday, 13 June 2002
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Jazz Vocals - CD Reviews
This Austin TX ensemble The Asylum Street Spankers are, to quote George Segal in the movie The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre, "the cat’s pajamas," which is outdated h…
THIS CHRISTMAS is a winning collection of holiday cheer that is enjoyable for all seasons. Each song is a perfect reflection of the fine singing talents of Clairdee accompa…
10 Jun
Live In Paris (DVD) by Diana Krall
Monday, 10 June 2002
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Jazz Vocals - CD Reviews
Canny marketers that they are, the producers at Verve Music Group have released at the same time, and just in time for Christmas, Diana Krall’s Live in Paris CD a…
06 Jun
The Best of Etta Jones: The Prestige Years by Etta Jones
Thursday, 06 June 2002
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Jazz Vocals - CD Reviews
Among classic women singers of jazz, Etta Jones came late to critical and popular acclaim. Although she made her professional debut at 16 with the Buddy Johnson Big Band, s…
Lately in my music listening excursions I’ve been deeply exploring the parallels between jazz and country music. I’ve always had my suspicions that the two are close cou…
Maryland-based vocalist Sue Matthews strikes a delicate balance on her latest album One At A Time. Full of torch, show tunes, and a Celtic number ("Caledonia"), and …
05 Jun
It Had To Be You...The Great American Songbook by Rod Stewart
Wednesday, 05 June 2002
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Jazz Vocals - CD Reviews
Well, jazz fans, he did it: Rod Stewart recorded his first collection of songs from the Great American Songbook, and he does it well! Rod Stewart swings with a elegance and…
03 Jun
Calm, Cool & Collected by Byron Walls
Monday, 03 June 2002
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Jazz Vocals - CD Reviews
Although the name of Byron Walls will be unfamiliar to most readers, his compositions graced the repertoires of such pop stars as Glen Yarborough, Emmy Lou Harris, Andy Wil…
This is the initial CD for Lulee Fisher and quite possibly the breakthrough needed for this engaging, sweetly sophisticated vocalist. The undercurrent of sensuality is ever…
An artist who expresses their talent through vocalese has to be one of the bravest individuals in music, jazz artists especially so. A vocalist has to carry the entire song…
30 May
When The Sun Goes Down by Uptown Vocal Jazz Quartet
Thursday, 30 May 2002
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Jazz Vocals - CD Reviews
Having had the opportunity to review this group’s 1999 CD, Half-Past Swing, it was encouraging to notice that the personnel has not changed. Many of the studio music…
29 May
Whats It All About? by Jerry Grillo with Barry Velleman
Wednesday, 29 May 2002
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Jazz Vocals - CD Reviews
WHAT'S IT ALL ABOUT? is a refreshing collection of standards sung by Jerry Grillo accompanied by Barry Velleman at the piano. Jerry Grillo has a solid voice with the right …
29 May
At Ratsos - Volume 2 by Carmen McRae
Wednesday, 29 May 2002
Published in
Jazz Vocals - CD Reviews
Carmen McRae (1922-1994) is found in concert at Ratso’s in 1976. She had been the star performer on the night the Chicago club opened a year earlier. Always known as…
28 May
Mel Torme & George Shearing: The Complete Concord Recordings by Mel Torme & George Shearing
Tuesday, 28 May 2002
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Jazz Vocals - CD Reviews
Congratulations to Concord Records for bringing together the six albums of Mel Torme & George Shearing, along with a bonus CD of previously unreleased tracks. It is a major…
25 May
Good Morning Kiss by Carmen Lundy
Saturday, 25 May 2002
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Jazz Vocals - CD Reviews
You might think that Good Morning Kiss is Carmen Lundy’s latest release on Justin Time Records. You would be half-right. Good Morning Kiss also is Lundy’s old…
Eighteen tracks is a lot of music to absorb and sit through, especially if the CD is not the greatest. But with Terry Blaine's recording of 'Lonesome Swallow'…
17 May
Susan Lamont with the David Durrah Trio by Susan Lamont
Friday, 17 May 2002
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Jazz Vocals - CD Reviews
Susan Lamont, a native New Yorker and the youngest of seven, grew up in St. Albans, Queens, listening to her mother’s Ella Fitzgerald records. Now, she offers an enthusi…
16 May
Riding A Zephyr by Judi Silvano & Mal Waldron
Thursday, 16 May 2002
Published in
Jazz Vocals - CD Reviews
Judi Silvano has been riding the crest of various waves, when she hasn’t been riding some gentler zephyrs, for the past decade. Not only has she found time to record her ow…
15 May
The Last Concert by Rosemary Clooney
Wednesday, 15 May 2002
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Jazz Vocals - CD Reviews
For Rosemary Clooney fans who loved her jazz vocals and work with the Big Bands, this last concert will be a must-have for the home library collection. Clooney is in top fo…
13 May
Riding A Zephyr by Judi Silvano & Mal Waldron
Monday, 13 May 2002
Published in
Jazz Vocals - CD Reviews
This is an unusual CD collection in which jazz vocalist Judi Silvano contributes lyrics to the classic songs of pianist/composer Mal Waldron, and both perform the result to…
13 May
The Essential Tony Bennett by Tony Bennett
Monday, 13 May 2002
Published in
Jazz Vocals - CD Reviews
Probably more than any other singer, Pop/Jazz Icon Tony Bennett has weathered the changes in music (and society) in style: by steadfastly refusing to compromise his style a…
12 May
Come and Meet Me in a Dream by Sketches In Blue
Sunday, 12 May 2002
Published in
Jazz Vocals - CD Reviews
Sketches in Blue is an entertaining, smooth group with an emphasis on straight-ahead/classic approach, featuring the vocals of Jeff Hedberg. Listening to Jeff Hedberg remin…