CD Review: Rose Mallett, "Dreams Realized"

 I was delighted when I received a review copy of Rose Mallett's new CD from Jazz Promo Services.  I have had the pleasure of knowing  Jazz and Blues vocalist Rose Mallett for 15 years.  I first met her when I visited the Escena Country Club Lounge in Palm Springs California.  Rose had recently moved to the desert and was taking any gigs she could find.  I was immediately impressed with Rose's voice and her confidence as a performer.  The setting at a Country Club Lounge was not a perfect setting for Rose's soft lush voice but it was a gig and she knew that in order to improve, she had to sing wherever she had the opportunity.  I did a Rose Mallett Trio review at the Escena Lounge on February 28th, 2012.  Since my first review of Rose Mallett,  I have periodically done reviews on Rose and her progress as listed below:

   " Simply A Great Jazz Singer "  2/11/14

    "Rose Mallett's Favorite Top 10 Songs"  4/4/14  

    "Woody's in Palm Springs"  2/22/15

    "Vicky's of Santa Fe"  1/20/18

I encourage you to look up these past posts on my blog as they will provide you with a good feel of the hard work Rose has expended to reach her current level of accomplishment.  It brings to mind a comment I heard from Bobby Darin, "It's taken me 25 years to become an "Overnight" success".  The music industry has never been easy and I have personally witnessed many of the negative experiences Rose has had to face during her career and I can tell you that she handled every bump in the road with style and grace.  Unlike many vocalists I observe who reach a level of popularity and then stop their growth, Rose has always worked to improve her  voice, phrasing and performances.  The result has put Rose Mallett into the rare group of top Jazz and Blues singers performing today,  I encourage you to buy her CD and also next time you find yourself in the Coachella Valley desert area, I encourage you to look up Rose because she is still performing in several venues in the California desert. 

PLAYERS:

Rose Mallett- Vocals

Robert Kyle- Producer/Arranger/Sax/Flute

Jamison Trotter- Piano

Trey Henry- Bass

Mike Shapiro- Drums

"Munyungo" Jackson- Percussion

PLAYLIST:

1. Ain't Nobody

2. Feelin' Good

3. My Funny Valentine

4. Creepin

5. Send In The Clowns

6. The Snake

7. The Way He Makes Me Feel

8. Building Dreams

9. It's Impossible

10. Rock Me Baby

11. If I Never Sing Another Song

I have attached two "YouTube" videos that show Rose's versatility.  The first is a down and dirty Blues standard, "Rock Me Baby"  and the second is a tender ballad that Rose handles perfectly, "If I Never Sing Another Song".

                                                                    "Rock Me Baby"

                                                                "If I Never Sing Another Song"

  

Rose Mallett Is Fantastic at Vicky's of Santa Fe In Indian Wells, CA

The first time I heard Rose Mallett sing was on March 21, 2012.  I immediately fell in love with her silky and mellow voice.  At that time Rose had been singing for a few years having retired early from a secretarial job with a California Bank.  Rose told me she always had a burning desire to sing and perform and felt the time had come to follow her long-held dream.  Fortunately for all of the music fans in the Coachella Valley,  Rose had the strength to change her life path and make music her total focus!  It is so wonderful to see Rose's progress over the past 5 years in both her vocal skills and her stage presence.  Rose has worked and studied hard to improve her vocal performance and has achieved greatness.  Her voice is still silky and mellow;  she moves through octaves effortlessly and her stage presence is imposing.  When Rose sings, her voice and phrasing at times  recalls the great ones,  Ella and Sarah,  but she clearly has her own special styling.  She has developed a strong following of admirers over the years who attend her performances.  She has earned all of the accolades she receives for the professional way she handled the development of her voice and stage presence.  She has achieved universal praise from everyone who hears her sing and is truly one of the "Divas of the Desert"!

Rose is supported by two seasoned and talented musicians and Rose gives them both a workout.  She is a superb Jazz vocalist and her supporting cast has to always be alert to the changes that flow out of Rose so smoothly. Both her Bassist,  Danny Flahive and her Pianist, Jeff Lance love it.  They both are not only up to the musical challenge but revel in it!

Danny Flahive is one of the most popular Bassists in the Desert and has played for some of the giants in the music business including the recently passed, Buddy Greco, who expected and demanded only excellence from his support players.  It was fun watching Danny enjoy performing with Rose with much admiration for her vocal skills.

Rose has an active schedule that I have listed below.  You can always fin where her she is performing by hitting her site, "Rosemallett.com".

Saturdays: Vicky's of Santa Fe  5:00pm to 7:00pm

Tuesday: The Purple Room, Palm Springs  6:30pm to 9:30pm

Friday: Woody's in Palm Springs   6:30 to 9:30pm

Rose is also producing a special show on Sunday April 29 "Songs of Sarah" at the Arthur Newman Theatre (At the Joslyn Center) that will surely be special!

I found a "YouTube" recorded at the "Purple Room" in Palm Springs, Ca.  Rose sings "Aint Misbehavin" with David Ring on Keyboard and Larry Holloway on Bass.  Enjoy!

Rose Mallett Performs To a Sold Out Crowd at Woody's in Palm Springs

Rose Mallett

The last time I heard Rose Mallett sing was two years ago at the Encena Country Club in Palm Springs.  I thought she had a beautiful voice and her phrasing was very polished.  Now, hearing her sing at Woody's on Friday night, she has evolved into someone far more than just a great singer.  Rose Mallett is now a wonderful entertainer.  From the moment she stepped on to the stage, she had total control of the audience.  She immediately connected to the audience with conversation and stories that gave us all of in the room the feeling we were old friends.  Rose has her only style of singing and it was interesting to see how she approached some of our favorite standards and maked them hers.  Rose is now almost always fully booked during the week at many different venues, but you can usually catch up to her at Woody's in Palm Springs.

Tonight, Rose picked some of the Valley's best musicians to support her singing.  Jimmy Dykes on Keyboard, Desert favorite, Bill Siatta on upright Bass and Tim Pleasant on Drums.  I strongly recommend that you visit Woody's on Friday nights to hear Rose sing, it is worth the trip.

Jimmie Dykes 

Bill Saitta

Tim Pleasant

I have posted a picture of one of the great service-persons at Woody's, Delia because she does such a wonderful job and makes the Woody's Jazz experience even better!

                                                                                                  Delia

I found a "Youtube" video from a couple of years ago of Rose singing "It's Impossible" that I know you will enjoy hearing.

Rose Mallett, Simply A Great Jazz Singer!

                                       

Rose Mallett

Rose Mallett has had a full schedule of performances this winter, but I had not seen her until Thursday night when I went to Escena Lounge and Grill inside the beautiful Escena Golf Club. The Escena Lounge and Grill is a wonderful place to enjoy great food and listen to some of the wonderful sounds of Jazz provided by Rose and fellow musicians, Barry McClure and Danny Flahive.  Rose Mallett has a wonderful Sarah Vaughn-like lush voice that when combined with her 3 1/2 octave range, puts even the most casual Jazz listener in outer space. In my opinion in the short period has been singing in the Desert she has become one of our best Jazz singers.  She approaches her songs without fear and applies her own Jazz interpretation bringing new life to the many great standards she sings.  Rose is a perfectionist and it's no surprise that she has chosen two of the best side-men in the Valley to support her performance.  Barney McClure has taken the Desert Jazz scene by storm this winter playing gigs almost every night. Barney is a wonderful personality and a great pianist. I was surprised to learn that he is self-taught on the keyboard and did not start playing keyboard until he was seventeen. Any singer would love to have him playing for them! On stand-up Bass is everyone's favorite Bass player, Danny Flahive. Just like Barney, Danny is in great demand and performs almost every night. Danny has his own unique approach to playing Bass, and his solos are well constructed and beautifully played. When you combine these three mega-talents together, the resulting sounds are a beautiful thing to hear.

Rose performs at Escena on most Thursdays but you should call first to make sure she is performing. She also is performing at many other venues including Woody's in Palm Springs.  She is scheduled to appear at Woody's on Fridays, March 7, 14 and 21. You might also check out her site to see her full schedule. 

Barry McClure, Rose Mallett and Danny Flahive

Barney McClure

Danny Flahive

Trish Hatley & Barney McClure Keep the Friday Night Music At Woody's Jumping!

Trish Hatley

                                                                           

Barney McClure

Tim Pleasant, Trish Hatley, Kelly Corbin and Barney McClure

Trish Hatley & Kelly Corbin

Trish Dancing With a Member of the Audience

I traveled to Palm Springs on Friday evening to see Rose Mallett who sings at Woody's  on Fridays.  When I got there the bad news was that Rose and her keyboard partner, David Ring were out with a cold.  The good news was that Trish Hatley and Barney McClure were sitting in for Rose and David. Trish and Barney are two of my favorite musicians, and I always love the opportunity to enjoy their music.  

Trish Harley made her first appearance in the Desert last season and received rave reviews from everyone.  She is from the Seattle area and is now bringing her wonderful singing voice to the Desert on a regular basis.  Aside from having a great voice, Trish has a great stage presence and connects with her audience as soon as she walks on the stage. She is a real pro and as you can see from the photos above, she loves to perform and this love transfers directly to her audience.  I also have to report that Trish is one of the best whistlers, that's right I said whistlers.  Trish whistled through a couple of songs to the delight of the audience.

Barney McClure is simply a wonderful keyboard player, an amazing arranger and just an all around really nice person. This is the second time I have heard Barney play this week, and my opinion of him could not get any higher! Anytime you can get to hear him, run, don't walk.

The two other members of Rose's quartet that were on hand tonight, Tim Pleasant on Drums and Kelly Corbin on Sax performed wonderfully.  This was my first opportunity to hear Tim, and his drumming was flawless.  I have heard Kelly play many times but I was taken back tonight by his high level of performance. Kelly has quickly become one of the best Tenor player in the Valley.

So what started out as a disappointment, ended up as a great night of Jazz!  Trish and Barney perform at Woody's on Mondays and I highly recommend you see them.  I will be making a return visit on a future Friday to see wonderful Rose Mallett. Rose and David get well soon.

For those of you that have not had a chance to hear Trish Hatley sing, I have attached a YouTube video entitled "Trish Hatley's Kiss of Jazz Sampler".  She really is a great singer!

Ron Kalina Stars In "Harmonica Convergence" at the Indian Wells Resort Hotel

Ron Kalina

Ron Kalina & Gino Antonacci

The Ron Kalina Trio

                                                                         

Gino Antonacci

                                                                 

Blake White

                                                                                 

Frank Di Salvo

Ken Steele

                                                                       

Rich Bono

On Tuesday April 16, I attended the opening of Ron Kalina's "Harmonica Convergence" at the Indian Wells Resort Hotel.  Ron Kalina put together a highly talented trio consisting of Blake White on Bass and Gino Antonacci on Vibes and Ron Playing both Keyboard and Harmonica. I want to start this review by stating that Ron Kalina is simply an amazing musician. Tonight Ron sang, played the Keyboard, played the Harmonica and then played the Harmonica and the Keyboard at the same time. Ron further surprised me and a lot of people in the audience with his singing ability.  His voice sounds like a combination of Fred Astaire, Chet Baker and Johnny Mercer.  Not a bad group of singers to hang with, don't you think! There were two songs that Ron played on the Harmonica tonight that were just brilliant, "Body and Soul" and "Skylark". These are two of the greatest love songs ever written and when played with the soulful sounds of Ron's harmonica, it just does get any better.

Gino Antonacci is one of only a few great jazz players you can still hear playing the Vibes.  I have not heard a Vibes player in many years and after hearing Gino play it quickly reminded me of how much I love the sound.  Gino fit perfectly with the sound of Ron's Harmonica and Keyboard.  And can he swing! What a treasure to have him playing right here in the Desert.

The third member of this group was Blake White who played the Bass.  I had recently seen Blake with the wonderful singer, Rose Mallett and thought he was a fine Bass player.  But tonight, playing jazz in this trio, he was allowed to push the Jazz envelope, and his solos were intelligent and clear.  He provided the rhythm glue to pull the trio together.

Tonight marked the first time this talented group of musicians has played together, but you would never guess it because they sounded wonderful.  This group will be back again at the Indian Wells Resort on Tuesday, April 24.  You won't find the sounds that this trio produces any where in the area, and I encourage all my readers to get over to the Indian Wells Resort next Tuesday to catch the show. I understand that the Resort is thinking about adding this group as a regular on Tuesday nights next season. This idea would certainly get my vote!

Joining in at tonight's opening were several familiar musicians that we all love.  First, the resident musical director at the Indian Wells Resort, Frank Di Salvo who sang a couple of great classic songs.  In particular, Frank did a beautiful singing job on the standard "My One And Only Love". I have never heard Frank sing better.

The next singer was Ken Steele whose golden-deep voice had the feel of the great voice of Johnny Hartman. Ken sang "But Beautiful" and then sang a great version of "Emily".

Rich Bono, one of the best pianist in the West, then joined the Trio and played several great songs from the "Great American Songbook". Rich is a great pianist, and I never miss a chance to hear him play.

The Rose Mallett Trio Featuring Guitarist Dan Papaila Making Great Sounds at Escena Lounge In Palm Springs

Rose Mallett

Dan Papaila, Blake White & Rose Mallett

Don Papaila

Blake White & Rose Mallett

Dan Papaila & Blake White

I recently received an email announcing that the superb guitarist, Dan Papaila was appearing with Rose Mallett on Wednesday March 21 at the Escene Golf Club in Palm Springs, Ca. I heard Dan play only once last year but that was enough to make me want to hear more.  Dan's performance this night was as good or better than I remembered from last year. Dan is widely known in the San Diego area and his talent extends far beyond his wonderful guitar playing. Dan is an author of several instructional guitar books, teaches on line guitar instruction and has produced several award winning CD's.  His guitar-playing style and sounds remind the listener of the legendary Wes Montgomery. Dan's latest CD, "Guitar Spoken Here" is a great jazz guitar CD that includes wonderful sounds from Mike Wofford on Piano and Johnny "Hammond" Smith on Hammond Organ and Dan playing a nylon string guitar. You can purchase it from CD Baby and I recommend it highly.

I came to the Escene Golf Club tonight to hear Dan but the surprise of the evening was getting to hear Jazz singer,  Rose Mallett. I did not know anything about Rose before this visit but after she sang the first song I had to put her on my entertainer "A" list.  Rose's voice has what I would describe as a silky and mellow feel. In addition,  Rose Mallet is a real jazz singer singing standards with her own unique interpretations.  I was especially impressed by her great low register that few women singers could match.  And yet, Rose's voice can also rise several octaves when she wants to. The sound of Rose's voice reminds me of "Sassy" Sarah Vaughan and her phrasing reminds me of Ella Fitzgerald. The third member of the Trio was Blake White who played Double Bass.  Blake was a perfect complement to Dan's rich guitar work and Rose's mellow voice.

Rose has a CD out called "Building Dreams" that you can purchase on CD Baby.  The Rose Mallett Trio plays at Escene every Wednesday evening from 5:00pm until 9:00pm and should be on your "To Do" entertainment list.