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Arlene Bardelle
- Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow
As you can guess from the title, Arlene Bardelle’s first album concerns love.
All these songs have helped define the Great American Songbook by celebrating and glorifying (and occasionally mourning) love in its multiplicity of moods.
But I think that her message finds its truest vessel in "I’ll Take Romance", written in 1937 by the lesser-known composer Ben Oakland and the legendary wordsmith Oscar Hammerstein II.
The melody is bright and chipper, like Bardelle’s voice; the lyrics eager and fresh, like her phrasing.
The song’s components mesh without effort, and her rhythm and timing follow suit.
And with each beautifully centered note, Bardelle offers more than her admirable musical intonation.
There’s also a perfection of emotional pitch, with each phrase tilted at the best angle to tell her story.
Bardelle has lived with these songs for decades – she’s no ingenue – and she has lived through these songs as well; her infusion of the heart’s knowledge is as important as ear training and vocal craft to her art.
When Bardelle sings, she doesn’t improvise on the theme, or leap around what once was the melody.
She makes these songs jazz by simply swinging – coolly, impeccably, from the heels, placing her in a long proud tradition exemplified by June Christy and Rosemary Clooney.
She doesn’t scat; she doesn’t need to.
For that, she can rely on a bevy of ace Chicago improvisers, led by her longtime collaborator Tom Muellner, who reveal their respect by their eagerness to accompany her, on this recording and throughout the city, year in and year out.
She doesn’t re-arrange the chords or the meter or the structure of these songs to make them seem new; she just gets out of their way to let them flow.
This takes control and maturity, and the good sense to remove one’s ego from the equation – to let the song and its creators speak through the singer.
But that’s so much harder than you’d think it would be (which helps explain why relatively few singers have found success with this approach).
And Bardelle makes it sound so much easier than it is.
It all results in music that lasts, music that sounds right the first time you hear it and the fiftieth time you hear it. So to answer the question posed by the album title – yes.
Yes, you will. – NEIL TESSER, Examiner.com |
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Colleen McNabb
- Don't Go To Strangers
Beyond McNabb being a great vocalist, there is quite
a line up of impressive guests starting with Grammy
Nominated and five time Downbeat Critics and Readers
poll winner Joey DeFrancesco. He is featured on
the album with his trio-including Jake Langley on
guitar and drummer Bryon 'Wookie' Landham. The traditional
piano trio is also represented with DeFrancesco
on piano Tony Banda on bass and Ramon Banda on drums.
The Banda Brothers are Los Angeles based and were
key players for Grammy Winner, Poncho Sanchez. A
real treat too is "Meditation" in which
Steve Gadd (the most in demand and influential drummer,
recorded with everybody from Eric Clapton and Paul
McCartney to James Taylor) lays it down and Joey
DeFrancesco plays a style of retro Latin piano and
the vocals float perfectly on top. Intermitted are
two duo cuts with Chicago based jazz pianist, Tommy
Muellner. The two duo cuts, Johnny Mandel's "Close
Enough for Love" and Bill Evans "We will
Meet Again" have a great deal of space and
rawness, in which you can enjoy her voice and phrasing
and clearly note that Muellner's playing was greatly
influenced by pianist Bill Evans. A somber reflective
"For All We Know" ends the album with
jazz legends Buddy Montgomery (Wes and Monk Montgomery's
younger brother) on piano, and Joe Chambers (composer
and player with Wayne Shorter, Joe Henderson, and
Max Roach) on drums.
"Don't Go to Strangers" is a great
compilation of not only great songs, but a representation
of some of the best jazz artists in the world. We
look forward to her next release. – Lucy
Simon |
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I'LL BE LAUGING
TONIGHT
Sonny G. with Joey DeFrancesco, Tommy Muellner,
Bill Klewitz,
Kelly Sill, Phil Gratteau, Bob Ojeda, Bob Centano
and Loren Binford
This C.D. was recorded in two sessssions. The musicians
BELOW have worked with some of the greatestst musicians
in the world and there is not enough space to list
them all.
Session One
Joey Defrancesco, Organ: Joey and
I have been friends for 5 years. He is a great musician
with a unique talent and just listening to him is
not only a pleasure but a lesson in harmonics. We
not only have the love of music in common but also
the love of food which sometimes is all we talk
about. He is a great hang. I cannot thank him enough
for his playing and input on this album.
Tom Muellner, Piano: Tom and I
have been close friends for 13 years, we not only
work together but also hang out almost every week.
He is a great jazz pianist as well as a great accompanist.
He has been a great help in my understanding of
music, as well as promoting me to other musicians
and encouraging me to make this album. His energy
and take charge attitude on both sessions really
helped me. Without this and his direction, I could
not have gotten through the sessions.
Bill Klewitz, Guitar: Bill and
I also have been close friends for 13 years, and
Bill, Tom and I have been referred to as the three
musketeers because we are always together. Bill
is a very good yet underrated guitarist who provides
what the song needs, whether its rhythm, chordal
or solo playing. He also knows many songs from the
early years (20s thru 60s) and since I also have
that knowledge we always look for and work out some
beautiful obscure songs. He is also a great photographer
with a super photo collection of Jazz musicians,
and took all the photos on this album.
Phil Gratteau, Drums: Phil and
I have been friends for 5 years, he is a great percussionist
and we work together occasionally only because his
services are very much in demand and has a heavy
work schedule. He has a great sense of timing and
rhythm and can color a song with his beautiful tempos.
Phil didn't say much in the session but when he
did he was right on the money with his suggestions.
He is a quite giant and a great hang.
Session Two
(Tom Muellner: Piano - Bill Klewitz: Guitar - Phil
Gratteau: Drums)
Kelly Sill, Bass: Kelly and I have
been friends for 5 years, he is a wonderful bassist
with a great conception of what a song should sound
like. We have worked together on many occasions,
but his services also are very much in demand and
its hard to find a night when he is not working.
We enjoy when we are working together and have our
little jokes and quips. He also brought a lot of
energy to the session, and between him and Tom they
took charge and controlled the session. I can't
thank them enough.
Bob Centano, Saxophone: Bob and
I have been very close friends for 13 years, and
has been the one who influenced me to sing by letting
me sing with his bands as well as with his combos,
he has hired me a lot and opened new doors for me.
I probably would not be in the business if not for
him.
Bob Ojeda, Trumpet: Bob and I have
been friends for 9 years he was introduced to me
by Bob Centano who has been his very close friend
and musical partner since they were kids. I did
not see much of him for years as he was traveling
with the Count Basie band and would only see each
other on holidays or the band's break time or at
one of Bob Centano's parties. He is a great musician
as well as arranger and composer and I can't say
enough about him except I am very proud he was on
this album.
Lorin Binford, Trombone: Lorin
and I have been friends for 5 years and is an excellent
musician who has done much studio work. He has great
musical knowledge and sense that comes from his
being able to sing the song as well as play it. |
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