ELISABETH KONTOMANOU — Back to my Groove (2007) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

A dramatic vocalist who was born in France but sings in impeccable and unaccented English, Elisabeth Kontomanou is best known in Europe as both a singer and an actress. She has visited New York regularly and along the way has worked with Michel Legrand, Mike Stern, Toots Thielemans, and Jean-Michel Pilc, among others. Kontomanou has a powerful voice and is a fine jazz singer. On Back to My Groove, she performs Gustav Karlström's inventive arrangements to nine of her songs and two numbers from her sidemen. In addition to her impressive singing and the fresh material, some of which sounds like it could have been a standard in the '60s or '70s, Back to My Groove is of strong interest due to the instrumentation. Most selections utilize not only a rhythm section but the Quatuor Elysee String Quartet, a few horns (soprano saxophonist Sam Newsome is well featured) and a harpist. While there are some thoughtful performances, it is the more high-powered pieces, which include some challenging writing for the strings, that are of the greatest interest. Kontomanou gives one the impression that she could sing anything, making Back to My Groove a strong introduction to her music. Scott Yanow 
Tracklist :
1 Back to My Groove 6:13
Elisabeth Kontomanou 
2 What a Life 5:49
Elisabeth Kontomanou 
3 Where I'm Coming From 7:37
Elisabeth Kontomanou 
4 The Abuse 3:46
Elisabeth Kontomanou 
5 Black Angel 8:00
Elisabeth Kontomanou
6 You've Changed My World 5:19
Elisabeth Kontomanou 
7 Late Cold Night 4:04
Elisabeth Kontomanou 
8 Summer 5:14
Elisabeth Kontomanou 
9 My Love 6:52
Thomas Bramerie 
10 Dreams of Gold (Are Dreams of You) 3:47
Gustav Karlström
11 Peace on Earth
Elisabeth Kontomanou 
Credits :
Leon Parker - Percussion
Thomas Bramerie - Ac Bass
Orrin Evans - Piano
Donald Kontomanou - Drums
Marvin Sewell - Guitars
Sam Newsome - Saxophone
Gustav Karlstrom - Vocal 
Gregoire Maret - Harmonica
Isabelle Olivier - Harp
Pierrick Pedron - Alto Sax
David El Maleck - Tenor Sax
Daniel Zimmerman - Trombone
Elisabeth Kontomanou - Composer, Vocals