JACINTHA - Here's To Ben : A Vocal Tribute To Ben Webster (1999) APE (image+.cue), lossless

When you link your musical objective to a jazz icon like Ben Webster, certain expectations are created and, as here, rarely are these expectations met. Certainly, Jacintha sings songs Webster played, and she sings them very nicely. But there's none of the raspy timbre in her voice that made Webster's saxophone immediately recognizable. Jacintha confuses raspy with singing softly. She and the producers would have been better served by presenting these songs as hers, not Webster's. The focus then would be where it belongs (i.e., what she does with these classics). With excellent pitch, good diction, and sensitive interpretations of the lyrics, she makes these songs her own. One highlight is her a cappella treatment of "Danny Boy." Throughout the session, Jacintha receives solid support from veteran Teddy Edwards' blues-drenched saxophone (he's a lot closer to Webster than Jacintha is). He and Jacintha work well together, as on "How Long Has This Been Going On?" The venerable drummer Larance Marable and bass player Darek Oles combine to lay a solid, sensitive foundation for the proceedings. Oles' bass is especially prominent on "Over the Rainbow." Former Miles Davis pianist Kei Akagi is a capable accompanist. This album is a solid enough effort solely on the strength of Jacintha's natural talent. The obeisance to Webster was not only unnecessary, but distracting. by Dave Nathan
Tracklist:
1. Georgia on My Mind - 5:18
(Hoagy Carmichael / Stuart Gorrell)
2. Love Is Here to Stay - 3:18
(George Gershwin / Ira Gershwin)
3. Tenderly - 5:23
(Walter Gross / Jack Lawrence) 
4. Over the Rainbow - 9:41
(Harold Arlen / E.Y. "Yip" Harburg)
5. How Long Has This Been Going On? - 5:26
(George Gershwin / Ira Gershwin)
6. Stardust - 6:38
(Hoagy Carmichael / Mitchell Parish)
7. In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning - 4:12
(Bob Hilliard / David Mann)
8. Pennies From Heaven - 3:13
(Johnny Burke / Arthur Johnston)
9. Danny Boy - 7:25
(Frederick Edward Weatherly)
Credits:
Jacintha - Vocals
Kei Akagi - Piano
Teddy Edwards - Sax (Tenor)
Larance Marable - Drums
Darek Oles - Bass
Joe Harley - Producer

JACINTHA - Autumn Leaves : The Songs of Johnny Mercer (2000) APE (image+.cue), lossless

Nine of the 11 tracks here are ballads. Their uncluttered arrangements spotlight Jacintha's smooth and sensuous voice, while her expressive phrasing draws the most from the classic Johnny Mercer lyrics. Jacintha includes the original lyrics to "Autumn Leaves," done in soft and flawless French; otherwise, her primary innovation is to deliver the tunes straight and sincerely, with minimal improvisation and maximum tenderness. There's no trace of the customary bitterness in "One More for the Road," and her unaccompanied reading of "Moon River" liberates that song from any prior goopy associations. In fact, her version brings out the poignancy of the lyrics so purely that her additional chorus, coming after a rather wandering piano interlude, seems redundant. The band is good but pretty restrained throughout, supplying subtle commentary and close support, then breaks out nicely on the two up-tempo tracks: "And the Angels Sing" and "Something's Got to Give." Jacintha's measured, legato approach isn't very conducive to swinging, but listening to "Skylark"and "Midnight Sun," in particular, is like sipping cool champagne in a fragrant hot tub. Another highlight is the bonus track, "Here's to Life," a signature tune for Shirley Horn, which Jacintha takes at a slightly faster tempo. While it's not a Mercer lyric, its beautiful sentiments and melody fit nicely into this relaxed and intimate set. Whatever this CD may lack in fire, it makes up for in warmth. by Judith Schlesinger  
Tracklist :
1     And the Angels Sing 3:30
Ziggy Elman / Johnny Mercer
Drums – Joe LaBarbera
2     Skylark 5:17
Hoagy Carmichael / Johnny Mercer
Drums – Larance Marable
Guitar – Anthony Wilson
3     One for My Baby (And One More for the Road) 5:19
Harold Arlen / Johnny Mercer
Drums – Larance Marable
Guitar – Anthony Wilson
4     Midnight Sun 3:55
Sonny Burke / Lionel Hampton / Johnny Mercer
Drums – Joe LaBarbera
5     Autumn Leaves 7:45
Joseph Kosma / Johnny Mercer / Jacques Prévert
Drums – Larance Marable
Trumpet – Will Miller
6     Days of Wine and Roses 5:26
Henry Mancini / Johnny Mercer
Drums – Larance Marable
Guitar – Anthony Wilson
7     I Remember You 5:33
Johnny Mercer / Victor Schertzinger
8     Trav'lin' Light 6:30
Johnny Mercer / Jimmy Mundy / Trummy Young
Drums – Larance Marable
Trumpet – Will Miller
9     Something's Gotta Give 4:04
Johnny Mercer
Drums – Larance Marable
Trumpet – Will Miller
10     Moon River 8:29
Henry Mancini / Johnny Mercer
Drums – Joe LaBarbera
- Bonus Track -
11     Here's to Life 4:48
Artie Butler / Phyllis Molinary
Drums – Larance Marable
Organ [Hammond B-3] – Artie Butler
Credits :
Bass – Darek Oles
Piano – Kei Akagi
Tenor Saxophone – Teddy Edwards
Vocals – Jacintha

JACINTHA - Lush Life (2001) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

This is Jacintha's third album for Groove Note, and her first with strings. Very popular in her native Singapore, she's beginning to get a worldwide reputation, and this release demonstrates why: Her voice is lovely, with clear diction and expressive, naturalistic phrasing. She draws the listener into a warm intimacy from the first track, "The Boulevard of Broken Dreams," a rarely covered and beautiful song with the perfect "rainy night in Paris" ambience supplied by Frank Marocco on accordion. Other highlights include a bluesy but refreshingly non-wailing "Black Coffee," with a fine, understated solo by Bill Cunliffe on piano; he's also good on the silky bossa "Manha de Carneval," where Anthony Wilson's melodic plucking contrasts nicely with the smoothness of the strings. Another unusual but happy choice, "When We Were Young," showcases the superb flügelhorn of Dmitri Matheny, which enhances four other tracks as well. Eight of the ten selections are ballads and, since Jacintha delivers her message straight and serene, the overall feel is quiet, sultry, and relaxing. After slooow readings of "The Shadow of Your Smile," "Lush Life," and "September Song," Joe LaBarbera's brushes and drum accents on "Harlem Nocturne" provide a welcome texture and pulse. The surprise of the CD is the startlingly original, soaring introduction to the vastly overplayed "Summertime," where Cunliffe's string arrangement evokes both Gershwin and modern French composers. This is excellent late-night listening; the local male vote was "mesmerizing."  by Judith Schlesinger 
Tracklist :
1   The Boulevard of Broken Dreams 4:55
Al Dubin / Harry Warren 
2  Black Coffee 6:39
Sonny Burke / Paul Francis Webster 
3  Summertime 6:13
George Gershwin / Ira Gershwin / DuBose Heyward 
4  Lush Life 6:19
Billy Strayhorn 
5  Manha de Carnaval 6:10
Luiz Bonfá / Antônio Maria 
6  The Shadow of Your Smile 5:12
Johnny Mandel / Paul Francis Webster 
7  When the World Was Young 8:23
Johnny Mercer / Michel Philippe-Gérard / Angele Vannier 
8  September Song 5:09
Maxwell Anderson / Kurt Weill 
9  Harlem Nocturne 6:20
Earle H. Hagen 
10  Smile 2:18
Charlie Chaplin / Geoffrey Parsons / John Turner 
Credits :
Bass – Darek Oles
Drums – Joe Labarbera
Accordion – Frankie Marocco (tracks: 1) 
Cello [Celli] – Peggy Baldwin, Rudi Stein
Flugelhorn – Dmitri Matheny (tracks: 1, 7, 8)  
Guitar – Anthony Wilson (tracks: 1, 6, 7, 9) 
Harp – Amy Shulman
Piano, Arranged By [String Arrangements] – Bill Cunliffe
Viola – Marium Mayer, Reneta Koven, Virginia Frazier
Violin – Eddie Stein, Gina Kronstadt, John Wittenberg, Norm Hughes, Susan Chatman
Violin, Concertmaster – Peter Kent
Vocals – Jacintha

JACINTHA - Jacintha Goes to Hollywood (2007) SACD / APE (image+.cue), lossless

Let's face it: most people who are not seasoned jazz listeners aren't going to comprehend someone as challenging as the late Betty Carter. The best way to get people who are "jazzophobic" to start listening to vocal jazz is to expose them to artists who are quite accessible but still have taste and integrity -- people like Jacintha, whose Jacintha Goes to Hollywood is a perfect example of a jazz vocal disc that is very easy to absorb even if one isn't a seasoned jazz listener. This 2007 recording finds the Singapore native turning her attention to songs that were heard in well-known films, and her torchy, understated approach serves her well on material ranging from the Mamas & the Papas' "California Dreaming" (a '60s smash that was heard in the 1995 film Chung King Express) to the Doris Day-associated "Que Será Será" (which was used in Alfred Hitchcock's The Man Who Knew Too Much in 1956) to Michel Legrand's "The Summer Knows" (from the 1971 film The Summer of '42). Technically, the title Jacintha Goes to Hollywood is inaccurate, because not all of these songs are identified with Hollywood films; Chung King Express, for example, is a Chinese film, and one of the best things on this album is an English-language performance of the gorgeous theme from the 1966 French film A Man and a Woman (or, as it is known in France, Un Homme et une Femme). Perhaps a better title for this 47-minute CD would have been Jacintha Goes to the Movies. But in the grand scheme of things, that is only a minor point. What matters the most is that Jacintha has delivered a musical tribute to movies that is as memorable as it is rewarding. by Alex Henderson  
Tracklist :
1 On Days Like These 5:31
2 Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head 4:58
3 Alfie 4:43
4 Windmills Of Your Mind 6:13
5 California Dreaming 5:40
6 A Man And A Woman 5:18
7 Easy Living 4:17
8 Que Será Será 5:09
9 The Summer Knows 5:23
Credits :
Bass – Darek Oles
Drums – Joe LaBarbera
Guitar – Anthony Wilson
Keyboards [Hammond B-3] – Larry Goldings
Percussion – Aaron Serfaty
Piano – Iskandar Ismail
Saxophone – Ricky Woodard
Trumpet – Ron Stout
Vibraphone – John Campbell
Vocals – Jacintha
Whistling – Howlett Smith