Mostrando postagens com marcador Ray Kennedy. Mostrar todas as postagens
Mostrando postagens com marcador Ray Kennedy. Mostrar todas as postagens

14.8.25

CHRISTINE HITT — You'd Be Nice to Come Home To (1999) MAXJAZZ Vocal Series | FLAC (tracks), lossless

An artist from Minnesota who studied piano at U-Minnesota and U-Arizona, Hitt recorded these sessions at Southern Illinois University and Studio 88 in St. Louis. This is her debut CD, revealing her talents as a pleasant enough vocalist and pianist whose ultimate comparison could be to Diana Krall, but who ostensibly sounds nothing like the pop-jazz chanteuse. In fact, Hitt plays better piano and sings in a less affected way -- very naturally and comfortably in her midrange. She's not histrionic, but she scats quite skillfully on many occasions, swings without flash or cabaret inclinations, and avoids blatant cuteness. Bassist Tom Kennedy and drummers Jeff Hamilton (five cuts) and Todd Strait (nine cuts) stoke the rhythm, while guitarist Rick Haydon and clarinetist Scott Alberici appear here and there. Ray Kennedy is credited on piano, but his name is missing from any track listings; Hitt sings and plays her own piano throughout, unless there's a typo. This program of 15 standards varies as one might expect, from love ballads and Brazilian music to fun tunes, though there isn't much blues. Hitt scats on the title track, and on "Joyride" she scats exclusively, not singing a written lyric; she employs clipped phrases on the lyric and mad scat on the bridge for the frantic "What Is This Thing Called Love?." On pieces with more relaxed, patient tempos, such as "Dream a Little Dream of Me," Hitt adopts a cozy style; she stays well within herself on "Thou Swell," and emphasizes her upper register to its detriment during "What'll I Do?." South-of-the-border pieces include a uniquely arranged 7/8 to 4/4 samba variation of the e.e. cummings Pooh-bear treat "Sitting in a Tree," the interesting clarinet- and guitar-based "Moonlight," and the fairly standard bossa take of "A Time for Love." Old-time swing with clarinet and strummed guitar on "Moonglow" and "In a Mellow Tone" harkens back to melancholy roots and traditions. On the torch ballad side, Hitt certainly offers an acceptable degree of emotional expressiveness for "My Foolish Heart" and "I've Got a Crush on You," without growing too melodramatic. There are two cuts with no singing that prove her to be quite an able instrumentalist. An exceptional interpretation of "Beautiful Love" sounds like she's played all her life. A waltz treatment of "Sometime Ago" is strangely credited with vocals that never come -- possibly another typo. There's also a bonus CD-ROM video track, "In the Wee Small Hours." For all the things Hitt is, she is not obvious, and that's the best part of her persona. Let others blast you with mushy multi-layered strings, loud beats, or nastily belted-out lyrics; she's searching for something deeper and more profound, and most times on this fine CD, she hits the mark. Recommended. Michael G. Nastos
Tracklist :
1.    You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To    3:24
  Cole Porter 
2.     Sitting In A Tree    3:35
3.    Beautiful Love    3:53
  Haven Gillespie / Wayne King / Egbert VanAlstyne / Victor Young 
4.    What'll I Do    2:58
  Irving Berlin 
5.    Dream A Little Dream Of Me    3:31
 Fabian André / Gus Kahn / Wilbur Schwandt 
6.    Moonlight    5:04
  Alan Bergman / Marilyn Bergman / John Williams 
7.    Thou Swell    2:03
  Lorenz Hart / Richard Rodgers 
8.    Sometime Ago    4:32
 Sergio Mihanovich 
9.    A Time For Love    5:49 
  Johnny Mandel / Paul Francis Webster 
10.    Moonglow    2:13
  Eddie DeLange / Will Hudson / Irving Mills 
11.    I've Got A Crush On You    4:14
  George Gershwin / Ira Gershwin 
12.    Joy Spring    3:30
  Clifford Brown 
13.    My Foolish Heart    4:25
  Ned Washington / Victor Young 
14.    What Is This Thing Called Love    2:21
  Cole Porter 
15.    In A Mellow Tone    3:11
 Duke Ellington / Milt Gabler 
Credits :
Christine Hitt - Piano, Vocals
Jeff Hamilton, Todd Strait - Drums
Tom Kennedy - Bass
Scott Alberici - Clarinet
Rick Haydon - Guitar
Ray Kennedy - Piano

8.4.25

JOHN PIZZARELLI — P.S. Mr. Cole (1999) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Just as when we listen to Harry Connick, Jr., there's a sense that John Pizzarelli is an old soul who is living back in the 1940s and '50s golden age of music and that listeners are time-traveling with him. But that just bears testament to the timeless nature of his easy vocals, lush and often snappy electric guitar work and the loving way he embraces classic material. P.S. Mr. Cole, the follow-up to Dear Mr. Cole is as, pardon the expression, unforgettable as his first tribute to the grace and panache of Nat King Cole. Just as with his recent tribute to the Beatles, Pizzarelli is just fine on the soft, sparse ballads but saves his most interesting interpretations for swinging trio arrangements. Because this is the sequel, the tunes aren't all household hums, and that makes this even more interesting. "Walkin' My Baby Back Home" swings gently along, breaks for a colorful guitar-piano duet (with Ray Kennedy), then speeds up towards the dramatic conclusion. "Welcome to the Club," whose lyric marvelously chronicles the shared experience of being a fool in love, opens with the singer scatting over a buoyant rhythm section (cleverly belying the melancholy nature of the theme). Other titles he adds his unique flair to are "The Late Late Show," "Tenderly," and Charlie Chaplin's "Smile" (which could have perhaps been done with a little more wryness). Recently Pizzarelli declared that he's not intimidated putting his own originals alongside classics, and his tribute tune, "That's Nat," is one of the most adventurous pieces here. Perhaps Pizzarelli should do a few duets next time with Natalie Cole. That would be unforgettable, too. Jonathan Widran
Tracklist :
1. Walkin' My Baby Back Home 2:30
 Fred E. Ahlert / Roy Turk
2. Candy 5:33
 Mack David / Alex Kramer / Joan Whitney
3. Welcome To The Club 3:21
 Noel Sherman / Dick Wolf
4. Indiana 3:23
 James F. Hanley / Ballard MacDonald
5. I Love You For Sentimental Reasons 2:52
 William "Pat" Best / Deek Watson
6. Don't Let It Go To Your Head 2:23
 Henry Hadamik / Frank LaVere / Bob Nast
7. Meet Me At No Special Place 3:19
 Henry Pyle / J. Russel Robinson / Arthur Terker
8. The Late Late Show 3:06
 Roy Alfred / Murray Berlin
9. Smile 3:52
 Charlie Chaplin / Geoffrey Parsons / John Turner
10. Tenderly 4:16
 Walter Gross / Jack Lawrence
11. I Was A Little Too Lonely 3:27
 Redd Evans / Jay Livingston
12. I'm An Errand Boy For Rhythm 3:34
 Nat King Cole
13. Then I'll Be Tired Of You 4:02
 E.Y. "Yip" Harburg / Arthur Schwartz
14. That's Nat 3:04
 John Pizzarelli
15. Azure-Te 3:51
 Bill Davis / Don Wolf
16. I Know That You Know 3:43
 Anne Caldwell / Vincent Youmans
17. Embraceable You 3:28
 George Gershwin / Ira Gershwin
18. I Like Jersey Best 7:17
Credits :
John Pizzarelli - Guitar, Vocals
Ray Kennedy - Piano
Martin Pizzarelli - Bass
Guest: Harry Allen - Tenor Sax (tracks: 6, 13)

CHARLES MINGUS — Mingus at Antibes (1960-2005) RM | Atlantic Masters Series | Two Version FLAC (image+.tracks+.cue), lossless

During 1960, bassist Charles Mingus led one of his finest bands, a pianoless quartet with Eric Dolphy (on alto, flute, and bass clarinet), t...