17 Jul
Too Much & Too Lovely by Alyse Black
Tuesday, 17 July 2007
Published in
Jazz Vocals - CD Reviews
Listeners looking for something fresh and new should check out the debut CD from singer-songwriter Alyse Black.The Austin, Texas-based newcomer brings together an…
Al Basile's liner notes say it well, ".... some blues, some jazz, and some soul .... ." But wait, there's more! The album's title refers to a rhythmic pattern, used on s…
04 Jul
Jazz Aviary by Susan Krebs & the Soaring Sextet
Wednesday, 04 July 2007
Published in
Jazz Vocals - CD Reviews
Birds, birds everywhere. They chirp and sing throughout this atypical and interesting collection of "aviary" tunes offered by bird-lover/vocalist Susan Krebs. The unusua…
01 Jul
Standards, New & Used by Keith England
Sunday, 01 July 2007
Published in
Jazz Vocals - CD Reviews
Somewhere between Jon Hendricks and Mark Murphy is former rock singer turned crooner Keith England. Atlanta born and Florida raised, England has recorded and toured with…
TRJ Records presents the sweet, songbird voice of Betty Vittori and Take 4, a great line-up of talented musicians: Roberto Soggetti on keys, Sandro Masazza on bass, and Val…
Picture a white sand beach, the shade of a palm-frond, crystal-blue skies and ocean, a citrus-flavored drink in hand, and a singer who slides up to...
Recently voted "Best Vocalist of 2007" by readers of The San Antonio Current and praised by The San Antonio Express-News as having "no peers" when ...
Sarahs’ childhood was molded by fairytales, show tunes and a warped version of the catechism which served to engage her spirited imagination. Being...
Melani Skybell is a vocalist and classically trained pianist, performing either solo or with her group. Her education includes piano performance st...
This is the third CD project recorded within four years. The path from the very beginning has been guided by faith, love, trust and an open heart. ...
For balladeer Will Downing, thirteen is definitely a charm. His latest release on Peak Records entitled After Tonight is by far his best ever. This repertoire of …
23 Jun
Dena DeRose: Live at Jazz Standard (Vol.1) by Dena DeRose
Saturday, 23 June 2007
Published in
Jazz Vocals - CD Reviews
Vocalist/pianist? Pianist/vocalist? The word for Dena DeRose is simply "musician" and her Live at Jazz Standard (Volume One) is a treat. This session, recorded in Ma…
Songwriter and vocalist Melissa Stott learned from a few of the best, such as Porter, Gershwin, Ellington, Strayhorn, Berlin, and more, but she has a more modern appeal …
Vegas classics are back and on the stage with the new jazz vocalist Sandy Kastel and her 2007 release of Powerful and energetic selections. This high-octane siren releas…
The slow but steady rise of male singers on the jazz scene today can be traced not to Sinatra or Bennett, but to Harry Connick Jr. He's been the benchmark of the modern gen…
In 2000, when I was fortunate enough to hear veteran Carol Sloane sing at the North Sea Jazz Festival, I considered myself very lucky indeed. Within a few moments after …
09 Jun
Nothing But Blue Sky by Chris Humphrey
Saturday, 09 June 2007
Published in
Jazz Vocals - CD Reviews
How many other Chris Humpheys are there who raise a family, buy a house, perform when they can, inspire future generations through teaching to share his passion for music, …
03 Jun
Breakfast On The Morning Tram by Stacey Kent
Sunday, 03 June 2007
Published in
Jazz Vocals - CD Reviews
Breakfast on the Morning Tram is a charmer. No two ways about it. In her Blue Note debut album, Stacey Kent has modified her direction while remaining constant with …
Even in childhood, Jessica Medina absorbed a mixture of cultural influences that defined who she was to become. Medina grew up in New York City, but her parents are of Lati…
Early in December, Johanna Sillanpaa, who is quickly establishing herself as a top R&B singer in Canada released her first Christmas album, One Wish. The advance …
25 May
Smashed For The Holidays by Jacqui Naylor
Friday, 25 May 2007
Published in
Jazz Vocals - CD Reviews
For those not familiar with the term ‘smashed,’ when used in a musical sense or the similar description ‘mashed,’ Jacqui Naylor’s CD Smashed For The Holidays, is …
25 May
Jacintha Goes To Hollywood by Jacintha
Friday, 25 May 2007
Published in
Jazz Vocals - CD Reviews
Music and movies have always formed a good marriage, because both evoke memories. Sometimes those recollections are joyous reminders of romantic relationships, or specia…
Ledisi is electricity personified, period. This intense and vocally powerful "gift" to music brings forth this latest sixteen-track R&B project with the force of a Categ…
Armi Grano continues to enchant and entertain audiences with her superb jazz vocals. In this entertaining collection of Christmas songs, she gives memorable performances…
10 May
Come Ready and See Me by Louise Rogers
Thursday, 10 May 2007
Published in
Jazz Vocals - CD Reviews
Splashes of innocence is just one effect the new 2007 release, Come Ready and See Me, by New Englander Louise Rogers has on the jazz populace. Ms. Rogers' diver…
09 May
Just A Chase Away by Melani Skybell
Wednesday, 09 May 2007
Published in
Jazz Vocals - CD Reviews
Independent recording artist Melani Skybell has released a CD entitled Just A Chase Away of her own making, one that is both surprising and just that good.…
Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, it is said. But it's not always artists doing the imitating. When a fresh sound hits the music scene, one can always expect …
05 May
When the Night is New by Abigail Riccards
Saturday, 05 May 2007
Published in
Jazz Vocals - CD Reviews
The evolution of jazz has taken many complicated and unexpected turns.... but there are many things that were meant to stay the same. Jazz vocals fall into the latter ca…
Linda Ciofalo has a voice that reaches out and grabs you. You just have to pay attention. Her vocal talent is among the best heard today. She is in great company, as much o…
22 Apr
Annie Sellick and Hot Club Band Plays the Songs of Tom Sturdevant by Annie Sellick
Sunday, 22 April 2007
Published in
Jazz Vocals - CD Reviews
Annie Sellick goes out on a tall limb and boldly says "Nana Nana Boo Boo, I’m doing something completely different." She hooks up with the Nashville-based Hot Club Band …
Jazz vocalist Linda Ciofalo’s music is as pretty as the images of the singer that grace the liner notes of her CD Sun Set. She is not about bop, nor is she going …
Grammy nominated songstress, Jane Monheit, returns with her seventh CD chock full of romantic ballads. Surrender is Monheit’s first with Concord Records and is produ…
Hilde Hefte - On the Cornerby Skoot Larson The truly great jazz vocal stylists, like Billy Holiday, Irene Kral, and Ella Fitzgerald are recognizable…
15 Apr
The Way You Make Me Feel by Sharon Rae North
Sunday, 15 April 2007
Published in
Jazz Vocals - CD Reviews
After years of success performing live, Sharon Rae North is now launching her second -and much anticipated CD, The Way You Make Me Feel. Comfortable with her self an…
14 Apr
Summer Samba by Irene and Her Latin Jazz Band
Saturday, 14 April 2007
Published in
Jazz Vocals - CD Reviews
Single-named vocalist Irene gives equal billing to her Latin Jazz Band on Summer Samba, and with good reason. They're the saving grace of the CD, though a bit of a m…
Sometimes the unexpected happens, you hear a CD and it surprises you calmly yet powerfully. That was the case with jazz vocalist TuTu Puonane's Song. The vocal se…
At first listen, it is inevitable that singer-songwriter Hope Waits’ self-titled, jazz-vocal debut CD will collect comparisons in both style and in voice to the likes of…
09 Apr
Round Midnight by Andy and the Bey Sisters
Monday, 09 April 2007
Published in
Jazz Vocals - CD Reviews
Fred Hersch remembered Andy Bey’s 1970s work with Horace Silver when he asked Bey to perform on his Ballads album, and then on to his Nonesuch tribute to Billy Stray…
05 Apr
Motion Of Love by Machan Machan
Thursday, 05 April 2007
Published in
Jazz Vocals - CD Reviews
Once every few years a singer emerges whose voice is so uniquely different and of such a high quality that you immediately embrace their music. Jazz singer Machan is suc…
If you want to catch a young jazz singer, whose star is quickly rising, you may want to give a listen to jazz vocalist Lauren White’s CD At Last. White, who is ba…
02 Apr
A Day Like This by New York Voices
Monday, 02 April 2007
Published in
Jazz Vocals - CD Reviews
New York Voices, a vocal ensemble comprised of Kim Nazarian, Lauren Kinhan, Darmon Meader, and Peter Eldridge, continue to redefine excellence with their two, three, and…
01 Apr
Womens Work: Live At Sweet Rhythm NYC by Judi Silvano
Sunday, 01 April 2007
Published in
Jazz Vocals - CD Reviews
Judi Silvano has always been one to make some interesting, and in some cases perspicacious, choices. Equally as interested in dancing as in singing, she has sometimes combi…
31 Mar
Love Letters From Ella by Ella Fitzgerald
Saturday, 31 March 2007
Published in
Jazz Vocals - CD Reviews
Ella Fitzgerald may be gone, but thankfully "The First Lady Of Song" lives on in her music. So what a treat it is to listen to this collection of never before released reco…
25 Mar
Live! At Hot Summer Jazz by Ginger Commodore & GCQ
Sunday, 25 March 2007
Published in
Jazz Vocals - CD Reviews
Singer Ginger Commodore’s performance at the 2006 Hot Summer Jazz Festival in Minneapolis is captured on her first solo release. Five songs from that show are on the CD alo…
16 Mar
Unfinished Business by Mary Ann Douglas
Friday, 16 March 2007
Published in
Jazz Vocals - CD Reviews
Mary Ann Douglas comes from Southern California and was influenced by West Coast jazz. The singer writes all of her own music, and 18 of her original songs appear on her la…
15 Mar
Dearest Duke by Carol Sloane with Ken Peplowski and Brad Hatfield
Thursday, 15 March 2007
Published in
Jazz Vocals - CD Reviews
No strings. No bass. No drums. No gimmicks. Simply the warm and supple voice of Carol Sloane with Brad Hatfield at the piano and Ken Peplowski on clarinet and tenor. No pro…
"Touches of brilliance with bits of confusion" best describes the 2007 self-release of one Darby Dizard called "Down for You." Talent comes from all directions and diver…
09 Mar
Lost in the Stars - Tianna Hall & the Mexico City Jazz Trio by tianna hall
Friday, 09 March 2007
Published in
Jazz Vocals - CD Reviews
Tianna Hall, a New Artist to Watch!by Skoot Larson It’s a rare and wonderful thing when a new artist comes along that turns your wig around and leaves …
"Take a look at my skin.... .it’s brown!" and from those first words of the first spin I knew this artist was someone who jazz would embrace. Charmaine Clamor will catch…
When Maria Guida sings the standards, it’s readily apparent that the passion this songstress has for this genre of music is strong and heartfelt. Guida’s velvet vocals on e…