CD Review: Antonia Bennett, "Expressions"

When you’re the daughter of a legend like Tony Bennett, the expectations can feel overwhelming—but Antonia Bennett rises beautifully to the challenge. With Expressions, she steps out confidently from her father’s shadow and into her own well-deserved spotlight.

For 15 years, Antonia shared the stage as her father’s opening act, quietly building her craft and learning lessons about artistry, song choice, and the value of surrounding yourself with the finest musicians. That education is evident here.  Expressions is a carefully curated album that balances jazz standards, timeless ballads, and fresh interpretations—all delivered with clarity, warmth, and style.

Her voice is pure, elegant, and emotionally resonant. Each lyric is shaped with perfect phrasing, and every note feels both effortless and heartfelt. This isn’t imitation—it’s Antonia’s own artistic voice, honoring tradition while carving out new ground.  She is joined by a stellar ensemble: Christian Jacob (piano, arrangements), Larry Koonse (guitar), Kevin Axt (bass), and Kendall Kay (drums). Special guests include Randy Brecker on trumpet and flugelhorn, and David Thomas of Take 6 adding rich background vocals on Wherever You Go. Their sensitive, world-class musicianship provides the perfect canvas for Antonia’s voice.

Expressions is elegant, timeless, and deeply personal. With this release, Antonia Bennett affirms that she is not just carrying forward a family legacy—she is adding her own luminous chapter to the Great American Songbook.

PLAYLIST:

1. Do You Still Think of Me

2. Exactly Like You

3. Once I Loved

4. Baby

5. Comes Love

6. Vous Qui Passez Sans Me Voir

7. Right On Time

8. True Love

9. Wherever You Go

10. Ain’t Misbehavin’

11. Hushabye Mountain

12. After You

13. See You On The Other Side

PLAYERS:

• Antonia Bennett – Vocals

• Christian Jacob – Piano / Keyboards, Arranger

• Larry Koonse – Guitar

• Kevin Axt – Bass

• Kendall Kay – Drums

• Randy Brecker – Trumpet / Flugelhorn (guest)

• David Thomas (Take 6) – Background Vocals on “Wherever You Go”

I have attached two songs from Antonia's CD,  the first is "Do You Still Think Of Me" and the second "Once I Loved".  

                                                           " Do You Still Think Of Me'

                                                                "Once I Loved"

                        

CD Review: "Compared To What" The Redmond, Langosch and Cooley Trio

Jay Cooley, Mary Ann Redmond and Paul Langosch

Mary Ann Redmond is a highly respected singer in the Washington, DC area who has won 22 Washington-area music awards, called "Wammies". Redmond has spent most of her professional life singing Pop and R & B tunes.  While performing at one of her gigs, it turns out that Paul Langosch and Jay Cooley were in the audience and after hearing Redmond's voice, timing and phasing approached her about joining them to jam a little. This first session together and the ones that followed produced the absolutely fabulous Jazz Blues Album named after the famous Les McCann and Eddie Harris recording of the Gene McDaniels' classic song "Compared To What".

Combining Redmond's glorious voice with the deep experience of Langosch and Cooley in dealing with songs from the "Great American Songbook" resulted in one of the best new CDs of 2012. Paul Langosh has worked with many of the giants of the Jazz world including: Phil Woods, Tal Farlow, Al Cohn, Mose Allison, Johnny Hartman, Bud Shank, Zoot Sims, Karney Kessel and Herb Ellis. In addition, he was a permanent member of Tony Bennett's Trio for 20 years. You can't play bass for Tony Bennett for 20 years without being a master of songs out of the "Great American Songbook"! Jay Cooley's career has included appearances with Charlie Byrd, Phil Woods, Keter Betts, Chuck Redd, Ethel Ennis, Ernestine Anderson and Lennie Cuje. He has performed at the Kennedy Center, Blues Alley, Strathmore Hall, The National Gallery of Arts and countless Jazz festivals.

This Album is about bringing the natural brilliance of Redmond's voice and the experience of Langosch and Cooley to new and old standards from the "Great American Songbook".  The selection of songs for this Album is nothing short of outstanding.  Even though the songs cover more than a 60 year span of music, every song on this Album fits Redmond's voice and style perfectly. I assume that Langosh and Cooley helped Redmond with the selections, but I give Redmond tons of credit for taking her Blues and R & B style and transforming her sound into Jazz standards.

I can't say enough about Mary Ann Redmond's voice and style. She has brought new life into the standards she chose for this album with impeccable timing and phrasing. Just one example is her performance of the Leonard Cohen song "Dance Me To The End of Love". Prior to this Album I had only heard this song sung by its composer Leonard Cohen and thought, why do so many people go crazy about Leonard Cohen? After hearing Redmond bring life to the lyrics of this song, I no longer ask that question. It's a good lesson for song writers to consider getting great singers like Redmond to record their songs instead of self-recording.  Most times this brings out the best of the melody and the lyrics for the listener.

Take a look at the creative list of songs and composers included on this Album. Two of the songs were composed by Redmond, "Love Me Anyway" and "Storm is Coming".

1. "Come Rain or Come Shine", Harold Arlen & Johnny Mercer
2. "Dance Me To The End Of Love", Leonard Cohen
3. "Compared To What", Gene McDaniels
4. "Storm Is Coming", Mary Ann Redmond
5. "Never Make Your Move Too Soon", Nesbert "stix" Hooper and Will Jennings
6. "Creepin", Stevie Wonder
7. "I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good", Duke Ellington & Paul Francis Webster
8. "Coyote", Joni Mitchell
9. "Ain't That Peculiar", Smokey Robinson, Ronald White, Pete Moore & Mary Tarplin
10. "What'll I Do", Irving Berlin
11. "Fool on the Hill", Lennon & McCartney
12. "Love Me Anyway", Mary Ann Redmond & Todd Wright

Mary Ann Redmond: Voice/Guitar
Paul Langosch: Bass
Jay Cooley: Keys

Special Guests: Dave Mattacks, Drums, Dan Hovey, Guitar, and Bruce Swaim, Tenor Sax  

The Twenty Greatest Love Ballads Ever Written

La Quinta Lemon

Recently I googled the title of this post and I was somewhat surprised that I could not find any posting of a top 20 love ballads list that includes any of the spectacular songs from the "Great American Songbook". How can this be? In fact, on most of the list of ballads that I found, I was not familiar with many of the songs.  How sad that today's generation is only into "Pop" ballads and might never have the pleasure of listening to great love ballads that have survived more than a 100 years. This is not to say that there have not been some great love ballads written more recently because there has been many. There have also been some interesting recordings of classic "Great American Songbook" songs sung by young artists.

So I dedicate this list to both young and old who love great ballads sung by great singers.  It's a mix of new and old songs that should be on everyone's ballad playlist in no particular rank.

1. "Wild Horses"                                                       The Rolling Stones                            

2. "Just The Way You Are"                                     Billy Joel

3. "Body & Soul"                                                       Frank Sinatra

4. "Your Song"                                                           Elton John

5. "Unforgettable"                                                      Nat King Cole

6. "When a Man Loves a Women"                           Percy Sledge

7. "A Song For You"                                                  Leon Russell

8. "You Are So Beautiful"                                          Joe Cocker

9. "You've Changed"                                                  Eva Cassidy

10. "Something"                                                          Tanya Tucker

11. "The Shadow Of Your Smile"                              Tony Bennett

12. "Everything I Do, I Do It For You"                     Bryan Adams

13. "The Very Thought Of You"                                Tony Bennett & Paul McCartney

14. "I Will Always Love You"                                     Whitney Houston

15. "What's New"                                                          Nancy Wilson

16. "At Last"                                                                  Etta James

17. "Here's That Rainy Day"                                        Peggy Lee

18. "Smile"                                                                      Stephen Tyler & Chris Botti

19. "Evergreen"                                                              Barbra Streisand

20. "The Nearness of You"                                            Norah Jones

Pat Rizzo Makes Musical Magic at Vickys In Indian Wells, Ca.

Pat Rizzo

Pat Rizzo

Jim DeJulio

Yarek Urant

Steve Neilen

I reviewed Pat Rizzo and his talented quartet a few times over the past few years, and yet every time I hear Pat and his musical friends, I always leave just overwhelmed by the talent of the group. Pat Rizzo has been a musical fixture here in the Valley for many years, but not everyone knows about his superb musical resume.  Pat Rizzo is a polished entertainer, he sings, plays Tenor, Baritone and Alto Sax and Flute.  He is funny and witty with his comments, and he evolved over the past years into one of the best singers in the Valley. While Riz has always been recognized as a great Sax player, his singing ability and style has been developing over the past several years.  Pat shared with me that in the many years that he played for Sinatra, he studied very closely the "Voice" every night from his seat on the stage directly in back of Frank. All those years of observation have certainly paid off for Pat who now draws just as many fans to hear him sing as well as to hear him play Sax.

Pat has performed and recorded with many diverse artists such as Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, the Tito Puente Orchestra, Conte Condoli, Chiz Harris, Sly and the Family Stone and the Group War. In addition, Pat is an excellent composer, arrange and producer.  When it comes to great music, Pat does it all! Pat has performed many times with Valley favorite, Mike Costley.

Pat's supporting cast consists of Steve Neilen on Drums, Jim DeJulio on Bass and Yarek Urant on Piano.  This talented trio has been playing with Pat for a couple of years now and they have become so tight together that the group has never sounded better.

Pat also shared with me that a major music label will be reissuing his past CD, "Riz, Gold For Silver" in the near future.  This is a dynamite Jazz CD, and I will publish more information as soon as I receive it.

You owe it to yourself to get over to Vickys  to take in the great sounds.  With no cover and no minimum, it is quite frankly the best value in town!  Pat and his quartet will be performing again on Monday and Tuesday starting February 25th and 26th,  so be sure to call and make your reservation.

CD Review: Tony Bennett Duets II

Tony Bennett has just released his new CD, "Tony Bennett Duets II", as a follow-up to his highly successful first Duets CD. Ever since Sinatra released his first and second "Duets" format several years ago, more and more artists are turning to this duets format. From my perspective, I really love these CD's because they all seem to be covering tunes out of the "Great American Songbook".  The two Sinatra Duet  CD's are still two of my favorite CD's. I think this format works because it uses some of the greatest songs ever written sung by a combination of a great seasoned singer with other great singers who in most cases have not recorded songs out of the "Great American Songbook". The last part of the Duet format might just be the most important, it needs to be produced by Phil Ramone.  I don't remember ever hearing a CD that Phil Ramone produced that I didn't love! And I am not alone  respecting the talents of Mr. Ramone who has received 36 Grammy Nominations and 14 Grammy Awards. Bennett's Duets II follows his formula and the results are outstanding.  I love almost all of these Duet CD's because I get to hear new recordings of the songs I love and because, I get to listen to artists that don't usually record this the standards. For the most part, I always seem to be caught off guard by these artists whose taste in music is materially different than my musical tastes and how great they sound singing standards. I find it difficult to listen to some of today's newer music of  and evaluate the quality of the performers' voices and talents.   But when I hear them sing a great standard, I find it easy to evaluate their future musical potential.  In the Bennett CD I heard some singers that I knew, but were not favorites of mine, sing standards that knocked me off my chair.  For example, on Track One Lady Gaga singing "The Lady Is A Tramp". I find it hard to focus on Lady Gaga's voice with all the distractions going on when she performs.  But singing this standard, she is nothing short of outstanding. I know she sells millions of CD's but none of them turn me on compared to hearing her singing one of the great old songs.  Another example on Track Three Amy Winehouse singing the great old chestnut, "Body And Soul". Singing doesn't get any better than this! What a shame we lost her so young! And on Track 5, k.d. lang singing Blue Velvet. I have listened to many of Ms. Lang's CD's and to me they are all just ok.  But everything she has done singing standards with Tony Bennett are exceptional in every way, and her voice reminds me of Jo Stafford. In my opinion, everyone of the 17 tracks on this CD are keepers.   This is a CD worth buying because you will be playing it over and over again for a long time.  All the songs selected by Tony Bennett are just great, and take a look at the lineup of great singers that join him:

Andrea Bocelli
Michael Buble'
Mariah Carey
Natalie Cole
Sheryl Crow
Aretha Franklin
Josh Groban
Faith Hill
Norah Jones
Lady Gaga
k.d. lang
John Mayer
Willie Nelson
Queen Latifah
Alejandro Sanz
Carrie Underwood
Amy Winehouse

   

Pat Rizzo-One More Time!

Pat Rizzo

Pat Rizzo & Yarek Urant 

The Pat Rizzo Band

Jim DeJuilo

Steve Neilen

Carol Hampton-Singer/Actress

Denny Seidenfeld-Entertainer/Philanthropist

Dave Schaner-Jazz/Swing Historian & Lecturer

I decided to make another visit to Vicky's Restaurant to take in the Pat Rizzo "Tony Bennett" show on Tuesday, April 29.  In my last review that I published on March 20, I indicated that not only did I love the way Pat plays sax and flute, but I was also caught off guard by how well he sings. I got lucky this night because Pat sang almost every song.  I continue to be impressed with his range and ability to hit every note with perfect pitch. Another positive change was the synergy amoung the members of Pat's bank. It was noticeably better than my last visit. The performance by Yarek Urant on Piano, Jim DeJulio on bass and Steve Neilen on drums fit together with Pat like a glove. Pat made a remark during the program that this was the best band he has ever put together, and I certainly agree with that!  I also was treated to a song by the wonderful singer, Carole Hampton.  This is the third time I have heard Carole sing, and I am more impressed every time I hear her.  Carole needs to get her own regular gig so we can take in more of her wonderful singing voice and style. I also got to hear Denny "Mr Excitement" Seidenfeld sing again, and he is always great fun.  I also want to mention that I got to meet, Dave Schaner, the Jazz and Swing Historian and Lecturer. If you love Jazz and Swing music, Dave is the go-to guy.  His knowledge of performers and recordings is very impressive.  Dave gives music lectures during the season at the Rancho Mirage Library and he is well worth seeing.  All in all, there are four excellent reasons why you need to catch the Pat Rizzo Tuesday show at Vicky's: Pat Rizzo, Yarek Urant, Jim DeJulio and Steve Neilen. 

Pat Rizzo & Yarek Urant

Pat Rizzo, He Does It All At Vicky's Lounge in Indian Wells

  On Tuesday March 8, I made it over to "The Desert Home" of live music in the Cochella Valley, Vicky's of Santa Fe in Indian Wells.  Vicky's is always the go to place to hear music. What other place in the Valley has live music 7 days a week?  None that I know of. My mission this night was to see the "Tony Bennett" show put together by Pat Rizzo.  I have seen Pat Rizzo performing as a member of many groups in the desert, but I really wanted to hear him leading a group so I could get a comprehensive view of his talent.  My first comment is that there is no doubt that Pat Rizzo has one of the strongest followings in the desert. And for good reason because Pat really does it all, plays tenor and alto sax, is a great flautist and has a great singing voice. In tonight's show, I was really impressed with Pat's sax playing, but the real surprise for me was how well Pat sings.  He sounds just like Tony Bennett. This is not an act. Pat's voice is really very similar to the great Mr. Bennett. Pat is not trying to sound like Mr. Bennett. He has an excellent voice and range of his own that is really exceptional.  Pat sang a lot of songs without one note he off key.  Remarkable for any singer.  I was really impressed with his ability to hit every high notes. Young singers could learn at lot listening to Pat.  Being a sax player myself, I can only tell you that I love the way Pat improvises his solos.  I only wish that I could have achieved the tone and dexterity that Pat puts forth every night.  Being the high- level musician that Pat is, it was no surprise to see that he had added the most professional sidemen to support him.  His pianist was the "great" Yarek Urant.  I have heard Yarek play for many other jazz groups but this is the first time I got to experience what Yarek could do with standards.  And the answer is he is one of the best pianist I have ever heard, bar none. If I could sing, I would want Yarek in back of me on the piano.  Brian Nova was on stand up bass.  I never heard Brian play, but I have heard great reviews from lots of musicians that know Brian.  Brian told me that bass is really not his best instrument, but not from my perspective.  He was perfect for the group.  I intend to catch Brian at one of his performances at "Beaux Arts". I can't wait to hear him play guitar.  The last member of the group was the drummer, Steve Neilen, whom I had not heard before.  He provided the perfect 4th for Pat's group and, his backup rhythums were solid.

One of the great things about live music events in the desert is that more times than not, talented people in the audience come up to sing a number or two.  Tonight was no exception.  Pat introduced Beverly Jensen aka: Beverly J. Leys and asked her to come up to sing.  What a treat she was!  Beverly has a great voice and a wonderfully way with a lyric. She was given a rousing ovation after she sang a couple of standards. Beverly could be staring in her own show, she was that good!  There was one other guest that came up from the audience to sing, Denny Seidenfeld.  Denny was a burning ball of energy and that's how he sings.  He did a great job especially since he later told me that performing is just a hobby with him.  Only in the desert do you get this high level of talent every where you go. 

Smokey Robinson's "Timeless Love" CD

I have been a Smokey Robinson fan for years especially when he was pouring out all his Motown hits. But today I want to talk about a CD that Smokey released on June 20, 2006 that I think didn't get enough attention in the music world. The CD is "Timeless Love" and it contains some great songs from the "Great American Songbook". The recent efforts of superstars to recording "Standards" like the ones from Rod Stewart and Barry Manilow, while great commercial successes,  don't do much for me musically. On the other hand,  I do credit these great artists for providing exposure to some great songs to their fans.  Smokey Robinson's "Timeless Love" is different because rather than singing these "Evergreens" in the style of Sinatra or Bennett,  in this CD Smokey interprets each song to perfectly fit his own unique style and voice. When Smokey creates an arrangement, the listener has no doubt that the unique sound he will hear is Smokey Robinson and not an imitation of another popular singer.  The voice and the arrangements are totally Smokey Robinson. Each time you hear the songs on this CD you will increase your appreciation for his talent.  That's what I experience and it's been one of my favorite CDs for the past couple of years.  Some of my personal favorites are:
            1. "Our Love Is Here To Stay" written by George & Ira Gershwin
            2. "I've Got You Under My Skin" written by Cole Porter
I think he interprets these great chestnuts beautifully.  I also liked:
            3. "You Go To My Head" written by John F. Coots
            4. "Our Love Is Here To Stay" written by George & Ira Gershwin
            5. "Time After Time" written by Jule Styne
            6. "I'm In The Mood For Love" written by Jimmy McHugh
If you want to hear some of these songs before you buy, click on the iTunes link on the top right of my blog. You can hear a little of all 13 songs on this great CD.  If any reader already has the CD or has heard it or are just purchasing it, I would love to get your comments.