CD Review: Deborah Shulman "We Had A Moment"

 

Deborah Shulman – “We Had A Moment"

Vocalist Deborah Shulman has just released her sixth album, We Had A Moment, and it’s a beauty. The eclectic playlist of standards she’s chosen for this CD is deeply personal — each song has a story and meaning connected to her life. The selections reflect irony, grief, grace, and love, and together they form a portrait of a vocalist who truly lives what she sings. The result is a wonderful gift to her listeners.

Deborah Shulman is one of those rare vocalists who can take a standard you’ve heard hundreds of times and make it sound completely new again. That’s not something that can be faked — it comes only from life experience, empathy, and a deep understanding of the lyric. Every track here shows that she feels and believes every word she sings.

There are ten songs on We Had a Moment, and each one is a gem.

PLAYLIST:

1. Anyone Can Whistle — Stephen Sondheim

2. No Moon at All — David Mann & Red Evans

3. Without a Song — Vincent Youmans, Billy Rose & Edward Eliscu

4. New York State of Mind / On Broadway — Billy Joel / Barry Mann, Cynthia Weil, Jerry Leiber & Mike Stoller

5. With So Little to Be Sure Of — Stephen Sondheim

6. Goodbye Love / Not Like This — Richard Rudolph & Jeremy Lubbock

7. The Laughter and the Tears — Randy Edelman

8. Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea — Harold Arlen & Ted Koehler

9. Miss Otis Regrets — Cole Porter

10. You Must Believe in Spring — Michel Legrand, Alan & Marilyn Bergman

Seven of these tracks were recorded with her longtime pianist and arranger Jeff Colella, and three with pianist and arranger Terry Trotter. Both are master musicians, and it’s fascinating to hear their distinct approaches. Colella’s arrangements feel intimate, harmonically rich, and conversational — he creates space for Deborah’s voice to explore emotional depth. Trotter brings his own elegant phrasing and understated sophistication. Hearing both pianists on one record is a master class in how two great minds can interpret the same vocalist differently but beautifully.

In addition to these two remarkable pianists, Deborah brought together a dream team of musicians — every one of them a hall-of-fame player:

PLAYERS:

• Vocals: Deborah Shulman

• Piano & Arrangements: Jeff Colella

• Piano & Arrangements: Terry Trotter

• Guitar: Larry Koonse

• Bass: Kenny Wild and Chris Colangelo

• Drums: Joe LaBarbera and Kendall Kay

Each of these musicians brings heart, skill, and decades of experience to the project. The result is a sound that is warm, deeply musical, and refreshingly honest.

PRODUCTION CREDITS:

• Produced by: Deborah Shulman and Jeff Colella

• Recorded at: Tritone Studios, Glendale, California

• Engineered and Mixed by: Talley Sherwood

• Mastered by: Paul Tavenner

• Label: Summit Records (Released 2024)

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We Had A Moment is a brilliant CD that will bring joy to listeners for many years to come. These songs are more than performances — they’re stories, reflections, and moments of truth.

Deborah Shulman, I personally thank you for your artistry and for breathing new life into these great songs once again. Your voice, your insight, and your heart make this album unforgettable.

I have attached two songs from "We Had A Moment" for your listening pleasure.  The first song composed by Harold Arlen and Ted Koehler is "Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea".  The second is one of my all-time favorites, "Miss Otis Regrets" written by Cole Porter". 

                                                       "The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea"

                                                                    "Miss Otis Regrets"

CD Review: Mark Masters Ensemble, "Sui generis" Featuring TIm Hagans

Composer/Arranger Mark Masters continues his pursuit of Jazz excellence with the release of his new CD, "Sui Generis" that features Trumpet virtuoso Tim Hagans.  Mark discovered Trumpeter/Flugelhornist Tim Hagans when Hagans was playing in the Stan Kenton orchestra.  Mark says " I heard him and thought, Wow,  who is this guy?"  "Tim is a true original,  he's developed his own harmonic language, which not many people have done. The term "sui generis" is a Latin phrase meaning "one of a kind" which absolutely applies to him."

Mark Masters always puts together musicians who are of the highest level of musical skills.  On "Sui Generis" Masters in addition to Tim Hagans brought in Nicole McCabe on Alto and Jerry Pinter on Tenor and Soprano, Dave Woodley on Trombone, John Dickson on French Horn, Jeff Colella on Piano, Chris Colangelo on Bass and Kendall Kay on Drums.  Masters arranged to have each of these musicians contribute along side of Tim Hagans.

Master Composer Mark Masters composed and arranged all twelve songs  on this album and the music is Jazz at its highest level of excellence.  

PLAYLIST:

1.  Hud's Two Step

2. The Stoic 

3. Deep Pools

4. Velocity

5. Interlude

6. Waxing and Waning

7. Pebbles

8. Meet Me At Sal & Angie's

9.. The Hammer

PLAYERS:

TIm Hagans- Trumpet

Nicole McCabe- Alto Sax

Jerry Pinter- Tenor and Soprano Sax

John  Dickson- French Horn

Jeff Colella- Piano

Chris Colangelo- Bass

Kendall Kay- Drums 

Dave Woodley- Trombone

CD Review: "What I See" by Judy Wexler

Judy Wexler

Judy Wexler has just finished recording her 4th album, "What I See". Judy has a marvelous, pure, clean voice, but that's only one part of what makes her such a special singer. First and foremost, Judy is a wonderful storyteller. When you hear Judy sing any of the songs that she carefully hand picks, she brings life to the lyrics. She has the rare ability to magically combine the story with her beautiful voice and captures the full attention of the listener. The songs Judy recorded on this album cover a wide range of times and styles; and, yet, Judy has been able to put them together as if these songs were written just for this album. There are few singers who have the ability to select the songs Judy has and bring them to life as she does. After selecting her songs, Judy applies the final magic to her CD by bringing together some of the most talented sidemen on the West Coast: Larry Koonse on Guitar, Bob Sheppard on Bass Clarinet and Alto Sax, Ron Stout on Trumpet and Flugelhorn, Scott Whitfield on Trombone, Billy Hulting on Percussion, Chris Colangelo on Bass, and Steve Hass on Drums. These are a lot of parts to pull together and make it all fit together perfectly. So Judy, brings in her long-time Pianist/Arranger, Jeff Colella to co-produce the album. Jeff who spent almost two decades as the Music Director for Lou Rawls put together all the beautiful arrangements that make this CD one of the best Jazz albums of the year.
 

CD Review: "Diane Hubka Goes To The Movies"

Last month I published information about a new CD, "From California With Love" that was recorded by a talented group of West Coast Musicians with the sole purpose to raise money for Japan Earthquake/Tsunami Relief.  I learned about the effort from one of the talented musicians who recorded on the CD, Diane Hubka.  Diane  found my blog and enjoyed the live music reviews I did last winter from the Palm Springs, California area. I really loved the way Diane sang on the "From California With Love" CD and I wanted to find out more about her.  Turns out she was performing to rave reviews in the New York City area for many years before moving to Hollywood California in 2004 where she collaborated with pianist Christian Jacob (who married the daughter of one of my all-time trumpet  faves', Maynard Ferguson).  Christian Jacob has also recorded with the uniquely talented Tierney Sutton.  Together Diane and Christian recorded "Diane Hubka Goes to the Movies" in 2007, and I decided to review the CD.

Diane Hubka is not just another singer!  In addition to singing, Diane plays a 7-string guitar with great skill and improvisation. She selects her material like a fine chef selecting just the right products at a food market. After her move from NYC to Hollywood Diane picked 13 songs that were written for movies, some standards and others relatively unknown but still great songs. According to Diane "It seemed the logical choice. Since coming here, I've enjoyed working with some fantastic West-Coast musicians, many who've made their living at least in part from playing in the studios."  The arrangements are wonderful and were all written by Christian Jacob. Diane chose all the musicians for the band from those she had heard and worked with after moving to California. The group includes Christian Jacob on Piano and did the arrangements, Carl Saunders on Trumpet and Flugelhorn, Larry Koonse on Guitar, Chris Colangelo on Bass and Joe LaBarbera on Drums.

There are 13 songs on this CD all taken from movies from 1937-79 and none of them are easy to play or sing.  Diane really gets to show her professional singing skills to the fullest on this CD and also solos, singing and playing her 7 string classical guitar on Track #12, "Manha de Carnaval" more popularly known as "A Day In The Life Of A Fool".  My other favorites were Track #1 "All God's Children Got Rhythm" from 1937 movie "A Day at the Races".  It's a perfect opening number for the group with everyone in the group making their presence known. Track #4, "Lovers in New York" from the 1961 movie "Breakfast at Tiffany's" was written by Henry Mancini, Jay Livingston and Ray Evans swings with great Trumpet work from Carl Saunders. Track #5, "He's a Tramp" from the 1955 movie "Lady and the Tramp" written by the great Peggy Lee and Sonny Burke played in an up-tempo Samba rhythm that fits the song perfectly.  Track #7 "I'm Old Fashioned" written by Jerome Kern and Johnny Mercer for the 1942 movie "You Were Never Lovelier" features some great piano and Guitar work by Christian Jacobs and Larry Koonse. Track #9 "Close Enough for Love" from the 1979 movie "Agatha" showcases some outstanding Piano and Bass work from Jacob and Colangelo. Track # 11 "Wild is the Wind" the old Johnny Mathis hit from the 1957 movie of the same name features a great up-tempo rhythm used very effectively to showcase an outstanding piano solo from Christian Jacob. There is one member of the group that needs some praise for his skillful performance on this CD, Drummer Joe LaBarbera.  Joe has done some outstanding playing with the great Bill Evans and shows us on this CD why Bill Evans loved him.  Joe fits his percussion work into every song and rhythm perfectly, never overplaying or underplaying Diane or any member of the group.  Great Job, Joe.

If you like great jazz singing combined with some smooth jazz instrumental sounds, this CD is for you.  Diane Hubka is the real thing.  Her singing skills are finely tuned and she is not afraid to push aside the safety net of the classic songs of the "Great American Songbook" and experiment with new approaches to new and old songs in her own personal way.

You can preview this CD on iTunes and I urge you to do so.  Diane's first CD "Haven't We Met" was released in 1999 featured alto sax legend Lee Konitz and received Jazz Nomination for "Best Recording Debut".  Her Latest CD "You Inspire Me" was released in Japan in 2007.

Note to all my California readers: Diane will be performing live on Oct. 20 at Vitello's Jazz & Super Club, 4349 Tujunga Blvd., Studio City Ca. 91604.  Reservations: 818-769-0905  If you are in the area, make the effort to catch her show, you will not regret it!