CD Review: John Pizzarelli "Double Exposure"

                                                               

John Pizzarelli has a terrific new CD that was born out of John's creative musical talents. For those of you familiar with John's performances, you know he always creates his own particular paths to music.  Never satisfied with simply covering a great standard, John looks for new and creative ways to bring some of himself to the tune and something new to the listener. This approach is not without risk but pushing the musical envelope is what John Pizzarelli is all about. For this CD, John wanted to find a way to present some great old standards and some great old rock and roll tunes. While John has always been faithful to the "Great American Songbook", he also has a love of the great songs of the rock and roll area. However, there is no way would John would be interested in cutting a new CD of simple covers of these songs.  John came up with the idea of combining two songs or different sounds from different times together.

We had the pleasure of hearing John perform some of the songs on his new CD in January at the McCallum Theatre in Palm Desert, Ca. The songs were simply outstanding. The first song John performed and also the first song on the CD was a combination of the Lennon/McCartney song "I Feel Fine" with the Lee Morgan classic "Sidewinder".  Hard to visualize what this final song would sound like but it was just outstanding.  John refers to the final product as "Lennon and McCartney meet Lee Morgan".  Next, John did an arrangement of Tom Watts' "Drunk On The Moon" combined with the great Billy Stayhorn tune "Lush Life". Next, Neil Young's "Harvest Moon" was given an influence of "Shine On Harvest Moon" producing a new musical gem.

There are 13 songs on this CD and each and every one has a story fully developed on the liner notes. I have to describe one additional song on the CD that was simply breathtaking.  The James Taylor song "Traffic Jam" was rebuilt with the influence of Joe Henderson's "The Kicker". John's  wife, the talented Jessica Molaskey wrote some terrific new lyrics and added her voice. John's description of this tune was "James Taylor and Joe Henderson as seen through the eyes of Lambert, Hendricks and Ross thanks to Jessica Molaskey's wonderful lyrics".

John Pizzarelli has been working hard for years on his trade with much success. His guitar performances have always been top notch, but now his singing and his creative arranging abilities have brought him into a special class of outstanding musicians. This is a CD that needs to be in your collection.

List of Songs:

"I Feel Fine"/ "Sidewinder"
"Harvest Moon"
"Traffic Jam"/ "The Kicker"
"Ruby Baby"
"Alison"
"Rosalinda's Eyes"
"In Memory of Elizabeth Reed"
"Drunk On The Moon" "Lush Life"
"Walk Between The Raindrops"
"Free Man In Paris"
"Take A Lot Of Pictures"
"I Can Let Go Now"
"Diamond Girl"   

The Four Freshman Are Not Only Alive But Singing Better Than Ever

The Four Freshmen

The Four Freshmen

The Four Freshmen

                                                           
I have been a fan of The Four Freshmen since I first heard the original group back in the early 60's. When I first heard them it was in the heyday of "Rock and Roll" but the jazz harmonies they produced had a great impact on my musical sensibilities and never left me. So on Monday March 26, I went to the McCallum Theatre to hear the latest group of Freshman,  Group #22. The Four Freshmen have been performing continually for 64 years since their start in 1948. This latest group has been together since 2001 and their performance showed that they are a finely tuned group of musicians.  The sound, the harmonies and the arrangements were as sharp and as good as when I first heard the group more than 50 years ago.  They sing songs from the "Great American Songbook" that produced sounds that can be current and nostagic at the same time. They sang 26 great songs this night including "Skylark", "Angel Eyes"and "Day In, Day Out". When they sang "Stardust" and "It's A Blue World" they got a rousing response from the audience. The Four Freshmen tour all through the year, in all parts of the country.  Log on to their web sight and you can check out their schedule. If they are anywhere near you, make every effort to hear the group. This current group of Freshmen has produced a couple of CDs, "The Four Freshmen, In Session" and "The Four Freshmen, Live in Holland". I bought and listened to both and highly recommend them.

Listen to the attached Youtube I have attached below.  It captures the Four Freshmen sound better than I could describe it.

                                                                               

Linda Eder Is Loved By McCallum Theater Audience

Linda Eder

Linda signing her new CD for fans

Linda Eder

When Linda Eder walked on the stage at the McCallum Theatre on Wednesday night, March 30, it felt like opening night of a Broadway play.  Before Linda reached center stage, the audience was  clapping and cheering for her. She has a tremendous following here in the Desert and she did not disappoint anyone at the McCallum.  Linda said it was a long trip from the East Coast but it was worth it to perform for the appreciative audience in the Desert.  Linda performed a wonderful collection of songs including many from her newly released CD, "Now".  The music on this CD is exactly what you would expect on any Linda Eder CD.  The songs are all sensitive stories told with wonderful melodies.  This is Linda's trademark.  Linda Eder unlike many singers, only picks songs that have strong lyrics and tell a story.  Then she sings these songs with a sensitive understanding of exactly what the composers had in mind. All  great singers have the ability to bring lyrics to life, and Linda Eder is a great singer.  Linda performed for an hour and one half with no break and received a rousing standing ovation when she finished.  Linda is truly one of the most talented singers performing today.  She is an American music treasure! Make sure you pick up her new CD; it's really good!

Jack Jones: An American Music Treasure

The last time I saw Jack Jones perform live was in 1965 in Vegas; that's 46 years ago.  At that time, I thought Jack Jones was an excellent young singer of popular songs. Over the years, I sort of lost contact with Jack's work until last year when I came across some CDs that Jack had done. I really was surprised by how great he sounded. I finally had the chance to see Jack in person again on Friday evening January 14, 2011 at The McCallum Theatre in Palm Desert, California. Jack sang with a 5 piece group led by the brilliant musician Mike Renzi on piano. As it turned out, most of the evening's performances were a showcase for Jack's marvelous voice and phrasing and Renzi's outstanding piano backup.  In addition to Mike Renzi, Jack also had his old friend and musical director Vinny Falcon playing piano.  If you are a Sinatra fan, you probably know that Vinny Falcon was Sinatra's musical director up until Sinatra's death. 

The audience froze when Jack inadvertently tripped.  That's when Jack showed what a consummate professional he is. He picked himself up, made light and continued singing without missing a note. A remarkable recovery for anyone but especially for a performer celebrating his 73 birthday. 

Jack sang a program of songs from the "Great American Songbook".  I thought his interpretation of the Brian Wilson song "God Only Knows What I'd Be Without You" was brilliant. He also did a great job on his version of the David Gates song "If A Picture Paints a 1000 Words" and also the Rod McKuen gem "If You Go Away".  Jack Jones even at 73 has remarkable breath control and voice range. He sang some complex songs tonight, and he did not  miss one note.  While I am sorry that I did not stay up with Jack's career over the years, I am so thankful that I got to hear his work on his CDs and finally got a chance to see and hear him perform in person again.  Jack Jones is truly one of the greatest singers of the "Great American Songbook". True to his professionalism, he performed for over 2 hours to a delighted and appreciative audience.