All Your Jazz » jazz vocalist

Jazz Vocalist Nnenna Freelon Releases Album: “Homefree”

drumminfabe — Fri, 08 Oct 2010 08:48:53 +0000

Concord Jazz announces the release of Homefree (April, 2010), the newest album from esteemed jazz vocalist and multi-Grammy nominee Nnenna Freelon. Homefree marks Freelon’s seventh Concord Jazz album as a leader and first studio outing since 2005. The 11-track collection was recorded at Sound Pure Studios in Durham, North Carolina.

The Album

Homefree is a soulful, swinging album that Freelon calls her “home brew.” The collection is comprised largely of contemporary interpretations of classic American Songbook tunes as well as a new original (the witty, playfully and poignant “Cell Phone Blues” composed by the singer) and spirited arrangements of two anthems (the gospel treasure “Lift Every Voice and Sing” and the national hymn “America the Beautiful”) that close the album.

Homefree opens with a brisk swing through “The Lamp is Low,” followed by the laid-back and easy-flowing arrangement of “ I Feel Pretty,” the Leonard Bernstein-Stephen Sondheim West Side Story classic that features Ray Codrington’s soulful flugelhorn lines. The latter has been in the band’s set-list for some five years, including a jazz show at the Kennedy Center for Miss America contestants and their escorts.

Other highlights include a soulful groove through “You and the Night and the Music,” arranged by drummer Kinah Ayah; a skipping, reggae-tinged rendition of Cole Porter’s “Get Out of Town,” that was arranged jointly by the band turning the standard upside down during a sound check; and, a new tune to the band’s set, the rarely covered Andre Previn-written beauty, “Theme from Valley of the Dolls.” Nnenna is currently touring in support of her new release.

More Info:
Concord Jazz
Nnenna’s site

Details:
Nnenna Freelon
“Homefree Concord Music Group (Concord Jazz)
April, 2010

Interview With Jazz Vocalist Sara Gazarek

drumminfabe — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 05:11:57 +0000

We recently had the opportunity to speak with Jazz vocalist Sara Gazarek. In the interview below, we asked her about how she became interested in jazz and how her experiences have helped shaped who she is as an artist.

Sara will be making her debut at the Orange County Performing Arts Center September 24th-25th, as OCPAC opens their 2010-2011 Jazz Series. She will be performing alongside another jazz vocalist, Sachal Vasandani, and the dynamic between the two will be something to look forward to

You can find Sara’s background and information about the upcoming performances here.

Interview

1. You had not been exposed to jazz too much until you were high school, and then you were awarded the first-ever “Ella Fitzgerald Charitable Foundation Outstanding Jazz Vocalist” Award. Was this something that was expected at the time, or did it more or less come out of the blue?

2. At the time you won the award, did you already know you were going to be studying jazz at USC, or did the award have a large influence on your decision?

3. To what degree was jazz an influence on your life in high school?

4. What other genres of music influenced you at that time, or still influence you today?

5. When you arrange music, do it allow to take form organically, or do you make an effort to consciously infuse a particular style or have it appeal to a particular audience?

6. What do you do to expose younger generations to jazz?

7. What advice do you have for younger generations that seem to have a more narrow and stereotypical view of jazz?

8. What is it about jazz that captivates you and keeps your attention, especially in comparison to other styles of music?

9. Do you have any new music in the works?

10.Do you do a lot of writing in terms of new matieral, or do you find yourself doing more arrangements?

11. Are you still in the process of recording with that group in Germany?

We would like to thank Sara for taking the time to talk to us, and we would also like to thank Heather Cho at OCPAC for arranging the interview.

Jazz Singer Philippe Saisse Gets Grammy Nomination For “At World’s Edge”

drumminfabe — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 05:57:17 +0000

Jazz Singer/Keyboardist Philippe Saisse was honored with a Grammy nomination in the category of Best Contemporary Jazz Album for his latest release At World’s Edge(Koch Records, 2009).

Songwriter/arranger/producer, keyboard wiz, and E1 Entertainment recording artist, Philippe Saisse, scored a personal triumph and first when NARAS voters opted to honor and acknowledge his progressive and daring solo album, At World’s Edge, with a 2009 Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary Jazz Album.

Saisse has enjoyed a distinguished career over the past 30 years, but finally attaining the milestone achievement on his ninth solo effort has even more special significance, because he dedicated the album in loving memory to his late father Maurice Saisse.

About The Album

At World’s Edge represents one of Saisse’s most ambitious and adventurous solo projects to date. While Saisse produced the lion’s share of the project in Los Angeles, he enlisted an All-Star cast of musicians, engineers, and singers from New York, London, Paris, and Japan, who sent him tracks from around the world.

Musicians featured on the CD include Simon Phillips and Skooter Warner on drums, bass players Pino Palladino, David Finck, and Ron Jenkins, guitarist’s Jeff Golub, Marc Antoine, and Annas Allaf, horn players, Kirk Whalum (tenor saxophone), Jason Golley (trumpet and flugelhorn), Jeff Beal, (trumpet and flugelhorn), Rick Braun (trumpet), and Michael Davis (trombone and bass trombone), Lenny Castro on percussion, and singers Angelique Kidjo, Jasmine Roy and David Rice. Saisse used noted Japanese engineer Goh Hotoda, who has collaborated with him on his most recent projects to engineer the CD.

Album & Artist Info

Vocalist & Saxophonist Curtis Stigers To Release Latest Project “Lost In Dreams”

jazzman — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 04:04:48 +0000

On September 29th, 2009 vocalist/saxophonist/songwriter Curtis Stigers delivers his latest Concord Jazz project, Lost in Dreams, combining his signature brand of jazz with generous doses of soul, pop, and blues along with his take on contemporary standards.

Visit On Target Media Group for streaming audio (full tracks from album)!

A couple members of the Lost in Dreams supporting cast include longtime keyboardist Matthew Fries and drummer Keith Hall along with newcomer bassist Cliff Schmitt. With help from this tight unit, Curtis Stigers mixes his own materials with a few well-known standards. Than, he tosses a few curve balls from sources as diverse as Rodgers and Hart, Annie Lennox and Roger Waters.

Alongside standards like “My Funny Valentine,” “Bye Bye Blackbird” and “In The Wee Small Hours Of The Morning” are jazz renditions of Annie Lennox’s “Cold,” Ron Sexsmith’s “Reason For Our Love” and John Lennon’s “Jealous Guy.”

Samples From Lost In Dreams

Amazon.com Widgets

Pre-Order this album now at Amazon.com

Artist: Curtis Stigers
Album: Lost In Dreams
Release: September 29, 2009
Label: Concord Jazz

More Info about Curtis Stigers

Jazz Vocalist Eliane Elias To Play Iridium Jazz Club August 14th-16th

jazzman — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 05:36:45 +0000

Brazil-born vocalist/pianist Eliane Elias is known for her distinct and immediately recognizable musical style which blends her Brazilian roots with her impressive jazz and classical skills. In this exclusive engagement, she brings to life the music of piano trio legend Bill Evans together with bassist Marc Johnson, who anchored the last incarnation of the Evans Trio, and master drummer Adam Nussbaum.

Eliane Elias will be performing at the Iridium Jazz Club August 14th-16th, 2009. Sets are at 8:30 pm & 10:30 pm.

Artist Info:

Eliane Elias highlighted this same music in her acclaimed 2008 Blue Note release Something For You. This celebration of Bill Evans also coincides with what would have been his 80th birthday, on Sunday, August 16th. Ms. Elias also recently released Bossa Nova Stories (Blue Note 2009), the 21st recording of her career, a sublime 14-tune collection that captures the cool and alluring spirit of bossa nova.

Elias has documented dozens of her own compositions on thirteen solo albums, all of them achieving the top ten of America’s jazz charts, most reaching number one on the radio airplay charts and top five in Billboard Magazine. With her 1995 Solos And Duets album she received a Grammy Nomination for “Best Jazz Solo Performance.” In 1997 The Three Americas recording was Best Jazz Album of the Year, and Elias was voted in five other categories: Best Composer, Beyond Musician, Female Vocalist and Jazz Pianist in the DownBeat Magazine Reader’s’ polls. The CD Eliane Elias Sings Jobim was number one vocal record in Japan for over three months and received best Brazilian Album in 1999 Jazziz Magazine Polls.

More Artist Info

Location:
Iridium Jazz Club
1650 Broadway (51st St.)
New York, NY 10019
(212) 582-2121
http://www.iridiumjazzclub.com

Jazz Singer Melissa Nadel To Perform At Blue Note July 25th

jazzman — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 05:16:02 +0000

An angelic voice and impressive talent, singer and songwriter Melissa Nadel will be performing at Blue Note Jazz Club on Saturday night, July 25th at 12:30 am. Tickets are $10, and reservations can be made by calling (212) 475-8592.

Melissa is a young, exciting artist who infuses Jazz and Pop to create a genuinely refreshing and original sound. Her style is versatile and tasteful, and her live performances are engaging and filled with emotion. She truly brings her own flavor to each song she sings. Her debut CD, What Matters, released through her own label and co-produced by Charles Fambrough, is being distributed in Japan through Vivid Sound Corporation and receiving great reviews.

Artist Information:
Melissa Nadel will undoubtedly join the ranks of esteemed singer-songwriters who appreciate Duke Ellington’s axiom: there are only two types of music – good and bad. Influenced by many genres of music, Melissa’s style is versatile and tasteful. She engages audiences with memorable melodies and expressive lyrics all her own that both older and younger generations can relate to.

With a B.A. in Music from Muhlenberg College in Allentown, PA, Melissa is an ambitious and exciting artist who has proudly completed her debut record entitled What Matters. This record highlights a stunning talent who holds her own with legendary jazz bassist Charles Fambrough, drummer Mike Clark, saxophonist Joe Ford, pianist Bill O’Connell and guitarist Bill Washer. The completion of this eclectic project exemplifies all Melissa’s undeniable hard work, dedication and passion put forth in her music. Be it a jazz ballad or a pop ditty, her voice is consistently strong, genuine and filled with emotion, and she brings her own flavor to each song she sings.

Based in and around New York City, Melissa’s live performances leave lasting impressions on those who get the chance to hear what she’s all about and see why her music matters.

More at www.melissanadel.com.

Location:
Blue Note Jazz Club
131 W. 3rd Street
(between MacDougal & 6th Ave.)
New York, NY
(212) 475-8592
www.bluenote.net

Kurt Elling Touring California In July: Find out when and where to see him

jazzman — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 10:33:37 +0000

Considered by many to be he finest male jazz vocalist of his generation, Kurt Elling has just released a live CD Dedicated to You, Elling’s creative re-imagining of John Coltrane’s collaboration with “romantic balladeer” Johnny Hartman [watch for an upcoming Jazz Police review]. Johnny Hartman was the only singer ever to record with Coltrane. The Coltrane/Hartman 1963 album of ballads, Dedicated To You, is considered a masterpiece, a perfect synergy of ‘Trane’s passionate tenor saxophone and Hartman’s sensual baritone vocals.

Kurt Elling is currently touring California and celebrating that music with the Laurence Hobgood trio with special guest Ernie Watts. Must see events:

(1) Yoshi’s in San Francisco July 11th & 12th;
(2) Catalina’s Jazz Club in Los Angeles July 14th – 18th.

About His New Album:

(Available at Amazon)

Artist: Kurt Elling
Album: Dedicated to You: Kurt Elling Sings the Music of Coltrane and Hartman
Release Date: June 23rd, 2009
Label: Concord Records

Recorded live at Lincoln Center, the premier vocalist of his generation salutes and re-interprets one of the greatest jazz albums of all time.

Recorded on January 21st, 2009 in Manhattan as part of Lincoln Center’s American Songbook series, the album packs the best of the live performance into twelve tracks bursting with a stunning spectrum of music, both vocal and instrumental. This is a truly unique album that will catch most people’s attention.

- Read Our Album Review
- Inside The Album, including Streaming Audio & Video

Vocalist, Composer and Guitarist Suzahn Fiering

jazzman — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 04:00:13 +0000

Suzahn Fiering is a jazz vocalist, guitarist, composer who has worked with a who’s who in music. Suzahn has had success as a writer, a session singer, a touring artist, an educator and a proponent of jazz preservation. Her knowledge, enthusiasm and positive energy has charmed audiences worldwide.

Suzahn plays original jazz and jazz standards accented by songs in French, Spanish and Portuguese, performs solo (voice & guitar) with her Nashville based band “French Kiss”, and with some of the best musicians from around the globe. Suzahn leads Vocal, Songwriting and Music Business Workshops for Corporations, Colleges, Schools and Community Groups.

Suzahn Fiering’s music is an elegant entree into a romantic world of dazzling virtuosity with smoky-smooth vocals, impressive guitar work, masterful scatting, critically acclaimed originals and unique interpretations of jazz standards. The listener is transported to a place with blue martini’s, clinking wine glasses, well-dressed patrons and a cozy sepia-toned atmosphere. Suzahn delivers all this intertwined with tidbits of jazz history and lots of humor.

Suzahn, who hails from New York City, has worked with a who’s who in the music world including Mel Lewis, Grady Tate, Marvin “Smitty” Smith, Donald Brown, Donald Harrison, Sam Bush, Dick Oatts and Jaco Pastorius to name a few. Suzahn tours regularly playing top festivals and clubs in the US, Europe and Asia.

She has songs in the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, D.C., and in the Baseball Hall of Fame and her songs have been heard on Oprah, Desperate Housewives, Kyote Ugly, NPR, BET, Disney, independent films, National Jingles (USA) and have been performed by many artist world-wide. Her best known album, Paris Without His Kiss, was released by Aspirion Records back in March of 2006.

Suzahn’s interpretations are like short stories set to music, each a page from a steamy novel revealing a secret life through a well balanced mix of swing, blues, ballads, Latin and folk, accented by songs in French, Spanish and Portuguese. Suzahn’s voice is articulate and silky yet one can’t resist it’s seasoned, road worn quality, which is well supported by her formidable guitar playing ability.

Currently:

Currently, Suzahn is preparing for a European tour. It will begin June 25th, 2009 in Toulouse, France, go through various cities in England, and wrap up July 11th in Copenhagen, Denmark. While it has been about 3 years since her last album release, there are rumors that this European tour marks a come back. With great reviews and stellar marks, a lot of people would like to see this become a reality.

For more information, about Suzahn Fiering, please visit her website.

Kurt Elling To Release New Album – Dedicated to You: Kurt Elling Sings the Music of Coltrane and Hartman

jazzman — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 02:00:17 +0000

On June 23rd, 2009, Grammy nominated and critically-acclaimed vocalist Kurt Elling will release Dedicated to You: Kurt Elling Sings the Music of Coltrane and Hartman, his eighth overall album and second release on Concord Jazz. The live collection was recorded in January 2009 in Manhattan as part of Lincoln Center’s American Songbook series. The 12-track release features an all-star cast of musicians including saxophonist Ernie Watts, the Laurence Hobgood Trio and the string quartet, Ethel.

All Your Jazz Review of This Album

Track List:

1. All Or Nothing At All
2. It’s Easy To Remember
3. Dedicated To You
4. What’s New (instrumental)
5. Lush Life
6. Autumn Serenade
7. Say It (Over And Over Again)
8. They Say It’s Wonderful
9. My One And Only Love
10. Nancy With The Laughing Face
11. Acknowledgements
12. You Are Too Beautiful

Streaming Tracks from Album:

(1) “Say It”
– Quicktime
– Windows Media

(2) “Dedicated To You”
– Quicktime
– Windows Media

Video:

Kurt Elling | Dedicated To You EPK from Concord Music Group on Vimeo.

Cassandra Wilson To Release “Closer To You: The Pop Side”: Scheduled to come out April 7th

jazzman — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 21:13:10 +0000

Artist: Cassandra Wilson
Album: Closer To You: The Pop Side
Label: Blue Note / EMI
Release Date: April 7th, 2009

Grammy-award winning jazz vocalist Cassandra Wilson will release Closer To You: The Pop Side on April 7th via Blue Note / EMI.

- 2 Grammy Awards, including a February 2009 win for Best Jazz Vocal Album
- New collection of Wilson’s best covers of pop / rock hits
- Artists include U2, Bob Dylan, Glen Campbell, The Band, Sting, Van Morrison, Neil Young, Cyndi Lauper and The Wallflowers
- With an unmistakable honeyed husky voice, she has a fan base across jazz, blues, R&B, country and pop

With her unmistakably rich voice, Wilson has made intimate and personal statements with jazz, blues, R&B, country and pop. Her new release, Closer To You: The Pop Side, is a new collection of Wilson’s best covers of pop / rock hits. The tracks were originally recorded by a who’s-who of top musicians, including U2, Bob Dylan, Glen Campbell, The Band, Sting, Van Morrison, Neil Young, Cyndi Lauper, and The Wallflowers. The Album celebrates the finest pop covers from Wilson’s seven albusm recorded wtih Blue NOte during her lengthy tenure with the legendary label.

Wilson won her second Grammy Award in February, earning the Best Jazz Vocal Album honors for Loverly, her critically acclaimed 2008 Blue NOte release. Blue Note Records is celebrating its 70th Anniversary as the world’s premier and longest-running jazz label with special commemorative releases and events throughout 2009.

Track List:

1. Love Is Blindness (U2)
2. Time After Time (Cyndi Lauper)
3. Fragile (Sting)
4. Closer To You (The Wallflowers)
5. Last Train To Clarksville (The Monkees)
6. The Weight (The Band)
7. Tupelo Honey (Van Morrison)
8. Harvest Moon (Neil Young)
9. I Can’t Stand The Rain (Ann Peebles)
10. Lay Lady Lay (Bob Dylan)
11. Wichita Lineman (Glen Campbell)

- For listening samples for her upcoming release, please visit On Target Media Group.
- For artist information, please visit Cassandra Wilson’s official site.
- During the week of the release, AOL will be streaming the album in its entirety. We will have a link for that soon, so be sure to follow up with us.